By Collins Matubwi
Kakamega
Shinyalu Parliamentary Aspirant Adrian Meja has said that they are going to rally the community to reject a move by local politicians to hive off sections of the constituency to form the new Kakamega town constituency as proposed in the Building Bridges’ Initiative (BBI).
Meja said before the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) carries out the delineation of boundaries, there must be public participation with the locals who will decide to have the sections hived off or not.
In the proposal, sections of Isukha West, Isukha South, Isukha Central and Muranda wards will be cut and be made part Kakamega town constituency.
He said politicians pushing to have the three wards be made part of the new constituency do not have the interests of the community at heart but for their political survival.
“We will reject any plans to have Shinyalu constituency be hived off to form the new constituency unless the process undergoes public participation for approval it,” said Mr. Meja.
According to Meja, delineation of boundaries to form more areas of representation is a good idea as it aims to bring services closer to the electorate and spur economic development but the exercise should not be politically influenced.
Maendeleo Democratic Party (MDP) party leader Amisi Mukanda said local leaders in elective positions were the ones pushing the splitting of the constituencies in a certain pattern that will assure them of re-election in 2022.
He claimed that some powerful political leaders from county want to have sections of Navakholo be hived off and be returned to Lurambi. Navakholo was separated from Lurambi constituency in 2010 and became an electoral area as from the 2013 with Emmanuel Wangwe becoming its first MP.
Prof. Stanley Khainga who was second to Bishop Khamala for the Lurambi parliamentary race last weekend said that due diligence should be observed when splitting the constituency in a bid to ensure it’s free from political manipulation.
Prof Khainga however said that the exercise to have new constituencies ahead of the 2022 polls should continue devoid of the BBI process.
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