Reduce National Assembly size to 162 members, not 349, Nyeri team recommends

The Constitution should be amended to reduce the number of National Assembly members from 349 to 162.

This recommendation has been made the Nyeri Dialogue Reference Group, a lobby comprising religious groups.

The assembly has 290 elected members from single constituencies, 47 women elected from the counties and 12 nominated representatives. The group on Wednesday said the size of the House is a burden to the country. 

Chairman Joseph Njakai, an ACK priest, however, said the 47 counties should remain. He spoke at the end of a two-day summit at the ACK Mt Kenya Guest House in Nyeri town.

They said the two-thirds gender rule should be on appointive positions and not elective seats. However, on governors and their deputies, gender representation should be on a 50-50 basis. If a county chief is male, the deputy should be female and vice versa, he said.

The chairman said they support a referendum on the supreme law to have the issues addressed. Also targetted are state appointments, which they want to be made on merit.

Meanwhile, the group said security has deteriorated in Nyeri and urged the government to be firm and consistent in eradicating illegal groups through effective intelligence gathering. The government must create many livelihoods so young people have something to do to support their lives, they said.  Otherwise, many youths will continue to engage in crime, they cautioned. 

“It is of great concern that there are indications of a resurgence of militia groups in the county and neighbouring counties,” Njakai said.

“This is not to mention radicalisation and recruitment of our youth in joining extremism or terror groups for the sole purpose of violence.”

They also appealed to the government to enhance security in areas such as Mandera where young people from Nyeri migrate to in search of employment in the quarries. Many lives have been lost to terror attacks in the quarries and the Dialogue Reference Group wants victims compensated.

As part of efforts to boost security, they want more national police reservists hired. All security personnel should be accorded decent and adequate housing in police camps for proper coordination of their functions and ensuring their own security, they resolved.

“There should be continuous training of police service on hospitality for effective service delivery and enhanced insurance cover to ensure regular counselling and psychiatry assessment or medical care for security officers,” the statement said.

The suggested that county governments facilitate capacity building for the young population on alternative livelihoods.

More than 100 delegates attended the conference. They included clerics, women and youth leaders, civil society representatives, persons living with disabilities, elders, professionals and the business community.

They deliberated on priority development issues for the county and the way forward. Religious groups whose members attended included the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, the Hindu Council of Kenya, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Council of Churches of Kenya, the Organisation of African Instituted Churches and the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims.

The theme of the dialogue was Reconciling and Restoring Kenya through Structured Dialogue.

(Edited by F'Orieny)

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