Lurambi MP Titus Khamala is pushing for the splitting of the constituency into two if proposed constitutional changes are passed in a referendum.
The Building Bridges Initiative is pushing for a law change that will create 70 additional constituencies. Kakamega county has been allocated two of the new electoral units.
Khamala said of those two slots, one should be given to Lurambi so that a new constituency to be called Kakamega Town is created.
Malava and Lurambi are the biggest constituencies in Kakamega with a population of 238,330 and 188,212 respectively. Constituencies with the highest populations will be split.
Khamala on Wednesday said the BBI process could offer a panacea for the problem of the Batsotso community, which is in both Lurambi and Navakholo constituencies.
He said the Batsotso are a minority in Navakholo and should be placed under one constituency.
"We need the two wards of Butsotso North and Butsotso West that were annexed to Navakholo during the 2009 boundaries' delineation to come back and give us a basis for a second constituency," Khamala said.
He said the boundary between Lurambi and Navakholo divided the community into two. He said sections of the Banyala community that has been in Malava for decades should also be returned to Navakholo.
Some groups have suggested that Lurambi be split into two, with Butsotso East, Sheywe and Mahiakalo wards being placed under one constituency and Butsotso Central, Butsotso South and Shirere wards forming the other.
Another group wants the Kakamega-Mumias road used as boundary for the two new constituencies.
But Khamala says Butsotso East, Central and South wards should comprise one constituency and retain the name Lurambi with Eshisiru as the headquarters, while the urban wards of Sheywe, Shirere and Mahiakalo form the Kakamega Town constituency.
Khamala is the senior-most elected politician among the Batsotso.
Lurambi, Navakholo, Malava, Lugari and Likuyani were all under the former Lurambi constituency that was created at Independence.
It was later split into Lurambi North and Lurambi South. Lurambi North was later split into Malava and Lugari constituencies before Lugari was further split to create Likuyani in 2010.
Lurambi South was split to create the current Lurambi and Navakholo constituencies.
Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has cautioned Lurambi leaders that they risk losing the new constituency if they don't front a common position.
Edited by P.O
