Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Boundaries team to start hearings next week



  SHARE BOOKMARKPRINTEMAILRATING
By Nation Reporter
Posted  Tuesday, January 10  2012 at  22:00
The electoral commission will on Monday kick off public hearings in eight counties to collect views on its new constituency and ward boundaries report.
he Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) hearings are the first round in a countrywide exercise that will end on January 26.
In that period, IEBC will hold consultative forums across the country and in particular areas where ward boundaries are to be adjusted to ensure that constituencies fall within the set population limits.
Thereafter the IEBC will review the submissions made by the public for 14 days and consider revising the report before forwarding it to Parliament for approval.
The report highlights 25 counties whose constituency and ward boundaries, as proposed by the defunct Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission (IIBRC), are in contention.
The new boundaries should be ready by April to enable the IEBC start voter registration in preparation for elections.
The poll date will be known on Friday.
On Monday, the hearings will be held in Tana River, Isiolo, Garissa, Turkana, Homa Bay, Machakos, Busia and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.
On Tuesday, the exercise will be in Lamu, Laikipia, Wajir, Homa Bay, Machakos, Bungoma and Nandi counties.
The counties that have contentious issues are Mombasa, Lamu, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Kitui, Makueni, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Murang’a, Turkana, West Pokot, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Baringo, Laikipia, Nakuru, Kericho, Kakamega, Kisii, Nyamira and Nairobi.
The IEBC report, which was released on Monday, identified emerging issues like lack of consultations, naming of wards and constituencies and shifting of wards from one constituency to another.
The report says that in Garissa County, residents of Ijara constituency say the proposed boundaries discriminate against small clans. They also want another constituency.
In Dujis constituency the commission did not take into account geographical features in the constituency.
The IIBRC said that Dujis was protected yet North Eastern Province did not have a protected constituency.
Turkana Central deserved another five additional constituencies to ensure adequate representation while in Elgeyo-Marakwet, it emerged that the community’s ties were not considered.

No comments:

Post a Comment