Dissolve coalition, electoral team tells Kibaki, Raila

Lucas Ng’asike

The  Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has written to President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga requesting them to dissolve the Coalition Government to pave way for General Election.

IEBC Chairman Isaack Hassan confirmed Friday that the commission’s secretary, Major (Rtd) James Oswago, dispatched the letter to the principals early in the morning.

“ I can confirm to you that the letter has already been dispatched to the principals and should be on their desk by now. I hope they will heed the commission’s advice,” said Hassan on phone.

On Thursday while releasing the IEBC report on boundaries, Hassan asked the principals to end confusion on the poll date to allow early preparation.

Raila said he is waiting for the letter from IEBC advising President Kibaki and him to dissolve Parliament in October to pave way for elections in December.

 “We will read the letter together, consult and advise accordingly. We will reach an agreement because my views cannot be as those of Kibaki,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Turkana leaders have faulted the report over unfair allocations of constituencies and merging of wards. The leaders led by Turkana South MP Josephat Nanok protested that the report given to Parliament for adoption has disadvantaged the region.

The MP, who is also Assistant Minister for Wildlife and Forestry, said the Electoral Boundary Report has denied Turkana County more constituencies and wards. The legislator said the report has indicated that Turkana County has been allocated three more constituencies and 30 wards.

The leaders argued that if the IEBC had adopted the Ligale Report, Turkana County would now have seven constituencies and 40 wards in total.

According to the 2009 National Population Census, Turkana County has a population of 853,000 people covering an area of 77,000 square kilometres. Turkana leaders had proposed the split of Turkana West constituency into two since it has a population of about 245,000 people.

“We have to be realistic in fair distribution of constituencies and wards based on a population quota and the area: the IEBC Report has short changed us and we cannot agree with their decision,” Nanok said.

In Nyandarua County, while others welcomed the report to have a new constituency in the region, some residents cried foul that there was need to have Kinangop constituency split into two. The report recommends that Ol Kalou constituency be split into Ol Jororok and Ol Kalou constituencies.

 It also recommends that Rurii ward in Ol Kalou constituency be reversed back from Ndaragwa constituency to Ol Kalou. Residents of Kinangop said they ought to have a new constituency due to it’s high population.

 Led by former MP Waithaka Mwangi, they accused the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission of going against their wishes.  “This is not what we recommended to the commission and we are going to oppose it in court.

The region has a high population and it ought to have been split into two,” he said.  He said  they had proposed that the region be split into North and South Kinangop respectively.

In Ol Kalou, local leaders led by Ol Kalou MP Erastus Mureithi welcomed the move to have Rurii ward back to the constituency. “It would be a disgrace to the people of Rurii to have them taken to Ndaragwa Constituency which is miles away from them.