LIST OF 26 CONSTITUENCIES THAT WILL BE SCRAPPED BY IEBC

At least 26 constituencies that were protected in the last boundaries review risk being scrapped, the electoral commission has warned.

The electoral agency also warned on Wednesday that the anticipated BBI referendum might pose a big challenge to the boundaries delimitation exercise.

This is because the Building Bridges Initiative to amend the Constitution has proposed the creation of 70 new constituencies and distributed them to select counties.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission had warned that the move was an attempt to usurp its mandate, because only it can set boundaries. If a referendum approves them, the agency will be sent back to the drawing board, commissioners said.

The commission also warned that the future of electoral units remains uncertain if they do not meet the population quota.

The commission, in its Boundaries Review plan unveiled on Wednesday, has increased the population quota from 133,000 to 164,015.

This means that any constituency that does not meet the population quota will cease to exist after the commission concludes the boundaries review by March 2024.

The population quota is arrived at by dividing the national population of 47.5 million by 290 constituencies stipulated in the Constitution.

The fate of the electoral units was given special treatment in the last boundaries review, despite a number having failed to reach the population quota.

They are to be merged with others if the population in those areas fall short of the population quota in what will trigger political heat.

The constituencies are Tetu, Ndaragwa, Mukurweini, Othaya, Kangema, Bura, Galore, Isiolo South, Kilome, Laisamis, North Horr, Saku, Mbeere North, Lamu East and Lamu West.

Other constituencies that could lose their status are Mvita, Mwatate, Wundanyi, Voi, Mathioya, Samburu East, Marakwet East, Keiyo North, Mogotio, Vihiga, and Budalang’i.

The IEBC has also warned that some counties could have the number of their constituencies slashed or increased depending on the population density.

In the new formula, any county that falls below 82 persons per square kilometre will be considered sparsely populated.

Population density is arrived at dividing the county’s total national population with its size of 540.876.3 square kilometres.

The Constitution, however, provides for other parameters to be applied in addition to the population quota where necessary.

Other parameters that will govern the delimitation of constituencies and wards other than population will be geographical features and urban centres, community of interest, historical, economic and cultural ties and means of communication.

The 2019 National Population and Housing Census, published by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, will be used in the review of constituencies and wards.

“One of the major lessons learnt from the previous delimitation exercise is the need to engage stakeholders and maximise on public participation,” IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said.

He spoke when his team met the National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs committee.

The Constitution provides for the review of the names and boundaries of constituencies and wards at intervals of not less than eight years and not more than 12 years.

The last review of boundaries was carried out in March 2012, therefore the next review must not be done later than 2024.

The law says if delimitation is carried out a year to the next general election, then the new units will only be applied in subsequent polls.

The plan outlines legal, operational and logistics, technology, economic, security, social, political and cultural factors that are likely to impact the boundaries review.

It said a comprehensive legal framework is lacking for boundaries delimitation as well as clear policies on the review process.

It added most Kenyans are not familiar with laws on boundaries delimitation and processes.

“The nature and number of disputes experienced from the first review is a pointer to what is likely to happen in the upcoming boundaries review,” the plan read.

It added that poor road networks, difficult geographical terrain and inadequate infrastructural facilities in some areas may increase the cost of public participation.

It further said there is a misconception that the boundary delimitation process will be a solution to resource allocation challenges.

It also cited inter-ethnic tensions over resources and boundary disputes in some counties.

The plan said citizens are highly polarised along political, ethnic and clan ties.

The number of inhabitants of a constituency may be greater or less than the population quota by a margin of not more than 40 per cent for cities and sparsely populated areas and 30 per cent for other areas.

Thirty counties, therefore, fall under other areas while 16 are sparsely populated. Kenya has only one gazetted city, Nairobi.

To ensure marginalised/sparsely populated areas are adequately represented and catered for, the lower limit of the population quota will be used, whereas for the city, the upper limit will be deployed.

The maximum provision of 40 per cent deviation from the population quota will only be used for the smallest counties with respect to population size in relation to the population quota.

Sourced from The Star