Thika Town Member of Parliament Alice Ng’ang’a wants Kiambu County split into two, arguing that it will ensure the residents enjoy an equal share of resources.
According to the MP, dividing Kiambu County into Kiambu West and Kiambu East will guarantee residents more fund allocation and enhance development projects.
The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) legislator raised the matter while attending a prize-giving ceremony at Gatumaini Primary School,
“I would even recommend the split of Thika Town (with one part in Kiambu West and another in Kiambu East). I would be very happy because it is all about representation,” Ng’ang’a stated.
Ng’ang’a urged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to act urgently and carve the new borders as mandated by the Constitution.
“I would ask IEBC as an institution, while doing delimitation, to start with Thika Town,” the MP suggested.
The MP also complained of low budgetary allocation of the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), further attributing the poor infrastructural development in schools within Thika Town to inadequate funds allocation.
“If you look at the population of children, the laboratories are not enough. We need three more laboratories, if you look at the dining halls, the population is too high even for the dining. They also need extra classes.”
The lawmaker’s proposal comes less than a fortnight after a lobby group consisting of residents from Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Gatundu North and South constituencies pushed for division of Kiambu county into two for enhanced delivery of various government services.
Led by former Transition Authority chairman Kinuthia Wamwangi, the businessmen, lawyers, teachers, sportsmen and politicians wanted Kiambu divided into Kiambu and Thika counties to foster devolution and bring services closer to the people.
Adoption of such a proposal is likely to ignite a debate that led to the collapse of the Building Bridges Initiative.
In the nullified initiative, former President Uhuru Kenyatta and his handshake brother, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, had proposed creating 70 more constituencies, increasing the total number from 290 to 360.
Rift Valley was to get 23 new constituencies, Nairobi 12, Mt Kenya 11 and Coast 10. Nyanza was to get four more constituencies, Western five, Lower Eastern four and North Eastern one.
