Elders from Kitutu Masaba have petitioned the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission against politicians they say are planning to influence the proposed delimitation of the Constituency against the people’s will.
The elders, through their Kitutu Masaba Development Forum and Abagusii Cultural Welfare, listed issues they wanted the IEBC to take into consideration when determining new boundaries as it sought to divide the constituency which is the largest in Nyamira County.
In a statement that was signed by the Forum’s Chairman Barnabas Nyang’au, the council of elders who numbered more than 100 said delimitation of the constituency was imminent even if the Building Bridges Initiative had it as one of the proposals.
The BBI draft which is due for referendum proposes the formation of new 77 constituencies.
“We are concerned that Kitutu Masaba has close to 100,000 people and the IEBC should be considering to review it for division even if BBI were not to have it as a proposal,” John Mogere, the Secretary-General of the Forum said.
The elders decried a historical act by the then powerful politicians from Gusii who influenced the setting up of new boundaries of the present Nyamira and Kisii Counties which led to the separation of families and clans.
To this present day, some families of the Kitutu Clan live in Kisii County while the other members are one forming the current Kitutu Masaba Constituency in Nyamira County.
“In 1989, a then powerful cabinet minister in the then government annexed parts of Kitutu Central below Manga Ridge to Ting’a area and made it part of the present Kisii County.
The sad situation remains the same up to now where blood sisters and brothers are separated due to selfish political interests,” Kenzo Orina, the Chairman said.
The elders termed the historical decision a huge hindrance towards social and economic development of the Kitutu people and which they feared was being planned for a repeat when the Constituency is divided to form another new one.
The fears the elders allayed were that there was a plan by some influential politicians to hive away Rigoma and Gesima wards that are part of the present Kitutu Masaba and enjoin them with Nyansiongo and Esise Wards of Borabu Constituency to form the proposed new constituency.
The elders want Kitutu Masaba to be split into two with each of the two new portions having three wards each with all its two sub-counties being maintained.
They want Kitutu Masaba to maintain its original name with Rigoma, Gachuba and Gesima wards while the new constituency, according to them, should be named Kitutu Central which should constitute Kemera, Gachuba and Manga Wards.
Their proposal, they said is exactly what BBI proposes and the IEBC should wholly borrow from the draft.
By Darlington Mose
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