Commission for the Implementation of the Commission (CIC) Chairman
Charles Nyachae at a past press conference. The team has also proposed
that the section for nominated MPs be deleted to do away with nominated
MPs. PHOTO | ROBERT NGUGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The number of elected MPs should be reduced from 290 to only
150, the Commission for the Implementation of the Commission (CIC) said
Tuesday.
The commission led by Mr Charles Nyachae made the recommendation in its final report, parts of which were published in the Daily Nation on Tuesday on the day its tenure ended.
In
their final 260-page report, the commissioners said there should be a
maximum of 225 MPs in Parliament down from the current 345.
They also want the number of wards reduced by half, from 1,450 to 750.
The team has also proposed that the section for nominated MPs be deleted to do away with nominated MPs.
The
seats were created for special interest groups but political parties
have routinely ignored this and used them to reward loyalty.
Parties share the slots according to their strength in the National Assembly.
The current National Assembly has 12, three each of TNA, URP and ODM and one each from Wiper, Ford Kenya and UDF.
If
adopted, the proposal could lead to a significant reduction in the wage
bill considering that elected leaders earn hundreds of thousands of
shillings as salaries each, hefty allowances and other perks such as
concessionary mortgages, car loans and insurance cover.
In
another far-reaching proposal, the team has recommended that
parliamentary and presidential elections be held on different days.
In the last election, voters cast ballots for six elective positions.
In
the 2017 General Election, a seventh ballot could be added if the
electoral commission decides to combine the election with a referendum
on the Constitution.
KENYANS TAKE CHARGE
The nine commissioners — who have now left office after concluding their term — handed over the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of the Constitution to Kenyans and their elected representatives in the National Assembly and Senate.
The nine commissioners — who have now left office after concluding their term — handed over the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of the Constitution to Kenyans and their elected representatives in the National Assembly and Senate.
Their report recommends
that Article 97(1) should be changed “to provide a maximum number of
constituencies to 150 that would give a maximum of 225 MPs and also
amend article 89 (8) to provide that the number of wards shall be 750.”
If adopted, the proposals could increase political competition because some constituencies and wards will be merged.
It
will also spark considerable debate because a criteria for merging the
vote areas must be agreed on before the changes can be effected.
The
report recommends that the review of constituency boundaries be based
on population distribution, which has been contentious in the past.
Representatives
from regions like northern Kenya have in the past argued that they
represent expansive areas and basing constituency boundaries on
population alone would marginalise them.
The changes will require a referendum because they touch on representation.
On Tuesday, a group of Central Kenya MPs supported the proposal to reduce the number of legislators.
They
also said that the number of counties should be reduced and that the
Senate should be scrapped together with the positions of County Woman
Representatives.
The latter are special elected seats only open to women leaders.
The current National Assembly has 47 Woman Representatives.
“Kieni
constituency is 52 per cent of the entire Nyeri County, and if one MP
can take care of such an area, why should we not merge some of these
constituencies and create viable ones that will be under one person?”
asked Mr Kanini Kega, the Kieni MP.
OVER-REPRESENTATION
He said that the country was over represented although there was little development at the grassroots.
Giving
the example of Kirinyaga, Kiambu and Murang’a, the MP said these should
be merged to form one county. The same should happen to Nyeri,
Nyandarua and Laikipia.
“When we formed CIC, we agreed
that it should serve for only five years then we’ll be allowed to amend
sections that are not favouring our economy. I think this is the time to
do it,” Mr Kega said.
Nyeri Town MP Esther Murugi said the number of counties should be reduced from 47 to 14 and the number of MPs be capped at 210.
“We
should reduce the number of nominated persons and Members of the County
Assembly (MCAs). When merging the counties, it is good to consider the
issue of tribalism whereby counties that neighbour each other and are
comprised of different communities and ethnic groups should be merged to
enhance harmony and reduce tribalism,” she said on the telephone in
remarks supported by Mathira MP Peter Weru.
Tetu MP
Ndung’u Gethenji said it was the time the country reviewed the
Constitution since the system of devolution had not produced the desired
results.
PUBLIC SENSITISATION
Contacted
for comment on the question of representation, National Assembly
Speaker Justin Muturi said: “It is true that we are over-represented in
Parliament but this is a matter which requires extreme caution”.
However, he warned that the matter must be addressed with extreme caution in determining which areas are to be merged.
“It
must be a factor which combines both population and area. I urge both
sides in the debate to approach the matter with sober minds,” he said.
In
his statement, CIC chairman Charles Nyachae said that although the
implementation of the Constitution was successful it faced many
challenges.
“To address the challenges, the commission
recommends that the public be sensitised on the provisions of the
legislation on citizenship, including their rights and the concept of
dual citizenship,” he said.
No comments :
Post a Comment