The scramble for more constituencies is promising to pit central Kenya against the rest of the country, with Coast and North-Eastern politicians threatening to secede.
As Central politicians held the second meeting in a week over the matter, some MPs from other parts of the country were dismissing the new-found unity.
MPs from the vote-rich Central region were meeting to “seek a common stand”. They have declared that they want population to be the main consideration as the Interim Independent Boundary Review Commission considers reviews the boundaries.
But their counterparts mainly from Coast and North-Eastern said population should be only an aspect of the review.
They also took issue with President Kibaki’s speech writers whom they accused of misleading him to say that the commission should settle on a “one-man, one-vote” formula.
“This process must free from any interference from any other grouping,” Fafi MP Aden Duale said at a press conference at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi.
But speaking earlier after their morning meeting, the Mt Kenya group said it was not planning to influence the outcome of the process.
Through MPs Jeremiah Kioni (Ndaragwa), Joseph Kiuna (Molo) and Silas Muriuki (Imenti North), the legislators said the review must take into consideration all aspects, including the rural or urban location of a constituency.
“The changes we are instituting in this country are not about 2012 as some people have claimed, but for future generations,” said Mr Kioni. “This will be a very short-sighted approach if we decide to work this way and we then do not deserve to be leaders in this country.”
His sentiments were echoed by Mr Muriuki, who added that any review of constituency boundaries must seek to address historical injustices in representation. He said that a good formula must also take into account the sharing of devolved funds.
At Parliament, Voi MP Dan Mwazo warned that Coast would carve itself off into a state if the review failed to meet expectations, according to the law.
North-Eastern and Coast MPs are saying that they want a “one-kilometre, one-vote” formula, as opposed to the “one-man, one-vote one called for by their Mt Kenya colleagues, including President Kibaki.
The law asks the commission to review the boundaries based on “equality of votes”. It is also asked to take into account population density, in particular the need to ensure adequate representation of urban and sparsely populated rural areas.
The law also says that the Ligale commission should also take into consideration the population trends, the means of communication, the geographical features and the community interests.
But politics, including a change of the system of government in the new constitution, is threatening to scuttle to review.
Agriculture assistant minister Kareke Mbiuki has made it clear that the Mt Kenya group is pushing for more constituencies, with the hope that they can land the post of prime minister if the country adopts a parliamentary system after the enactment of a new constitution.
This, it appears, is informed by the argument that a presidential candidate from the region may be hard to sell to the rest of the country in the 2012 elections.
The constituencies being mentioned for a split include Embakasi, Lang’ata, Kasarani and Starehe in Nairobi as well as Mukurwe-ini, Mathira, Othaya, Juja and Tetu in Central Province. A number in Meru such as Nithi, one of the Tiganias and Igembe are included.
The thinking is that, if split, the areas might yield PNU candidates critical in raising numbers to claim the premiership in Parliament.
PNU vice-chairman George Nyamweya believes that although ODM received less votes than the PNU partners combined, the party harvested more seats in Parliament due the high number of constituencies in Rift Valley.
He has questioned why 6 million votes for PNU yielded only 87 House seats, against ODM’s 101 seats from 3 million votes. Some of the constituencies have more than 100,000 registered voters each. Embakasi, for instance, has nearly 250,000.
Others being mentioned are constituencies in the North Rift and others in Kisumu, Kakamega, Kericho, Sirisia and parts of the larger Gusii.
The MPs also have in mind constituencies such as Molo, Naivasha, Laikipia East and Nakuru Town as well as some in Coast.
However, the push the for more electoral areas could be informed by the desire for political survival for leaders who want enclaves with less competition.
There is also the case for fair representation, given the disparities in the number of people in various constituencies. And of little mention is the question of devolved money such as the Constituency Development Fund.
It is thought that additional constituencies will attract more cash to the regions.
Source: Daily Nation
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