Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Use natural boundaries, IEBC told



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By NATION CORRESPONDENT
Posted  Monday, January 16  2012 at  22:30
Leaders in Elgeyo-Marakwet County on Monday expressed dissatisfaction with the creation of new electoral boundaries recently released by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
Presenting their views before the IEBC commission during public hearings at Iten Town, some of the residents challenged the commission to go back to the drawing board accusing it of ignoring the proposals they had presented to the Ligale commission.
Both communities in the county, the Keiyo and the Marakwet, got 10 wards each.
But residents were dissatisfied with the methodology the commission used claiming it disregarded the geographical terrain, clannism and natural elements such as forests and rivers that were initially observed.
“We are concerned as a community that we have not been given fair representation in the creation of the electoral wards and we are urging this commission to re-scrutinize and observe natural features when delimiting the boundaries” said Linah Kilimo, the Marakwet East MP.
Citing her constituency, Ms Kilimo said the commission created the wards vertically across the locations instead of creating them horizontally.
People of the same cultural groupings practising similar economic activities and living in the same ecosystem ought to have been grouped together, said Ms Kilimo protesting that the commission went against their expectations.
She added that the commission had grouped people in the highlands together with those in the far-flung Kerio valley.
Lawyer Kipchumba Murkomen said more wards were needed to cater for marginalised groups.

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