Leaders from Garissa county have sustained pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga to allow the creation of a new constituency out of Ijara.
Led by Deputy Governor Abdi Dagane, the leaders said Holugho meets the required threshold of size and population to be split from Ijara constituency. Ijara is one of the six constituencies in Garissa county. Dagane spoke to the press in Masalani town after a meeting that brought together all local leaders.
The Building Bridges Initiative process has proposed an additional 70 constituencies distributed across 28 counties based on population quota. Garissa is not among the beneficiaries. Mandera is the only county in Northeastern that will get an extra constituency if the BBI proposal goes through.
During the 2019 census, Ijara's population was 134,000 people. Consequently, the deputy governor said the numbers were a clear testimony that Ijara has met and surpassed the threshold required for it to be split.
Residents say the creation of Hulugho constituency was among the recommendations they presented to the BBI task force.
“We wanted Ijara elevated to a county but it seems it might not materialise. We are thus asking for an additional constituency out of the 70 additional constituencies proposed in the BBI report,” Dagane said.
“The entire Northeastern region was given only one constituency out of the 70. We appreciate the additional constituency in Mandera but the whole region cannot get one constituency. It's not fair,” he added.
The Kenya Livestock Marketing Council chair Dubat Amey said during the 2010 constitutional review and the delimitation of boundaries process led by the IIEC, they asked for an extra constituency but were left out.
Speaking last week when he received BBI signature booklets, Garissa Governor Ali Korane said they will continue pursuing the creation of Hulugho constituency.
Former National Assembly Majority leader and Garissa Township MP Aden Duale over the weekend said he was ready to support the BBI if the county is awarded an additional constituency.
The counties that will get more representatives are Nairobi (16), Kiambu (6), Nakuru (5), Kilifi (4), Mombasa (3), Machakos (3), Narok (3), Kajiado (3), Bungoma (3), Kwale (2), Meru (2), Trans Nzoia (2), and Uasin Gishu (2).
Others are Kakamega (2), Kisumu (2), while Mandera, Embu, Makueni, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Turkana, Laikipia, Kericho, Bomet, Siaya, Homa Bay and Nyamira will get a single addition each.
