By Alex Ndegwa

Central Kenya MPs met yet again over constituencies as the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission moves to the region, next week.

In a meeting attended by about 20 MPs at a Nairobi hotel on Friday, the leaders suggested regions should be grouped into three categories – urban, rural-densely populated and rural-sparsely populated to guide the division. They resolved a uniform description of each of the category is applied across the board so that no region enjoys preferential treatment.

"We are proposing that all constituencies in urban areas have almost the same number of voters," said Metropolitan Development Minister Njeru Githae.

And the MPs, who have kicked up a storm with the push for the ‘one-man, one-vote’ principle in reviewing electoral boundaries, reached out to critics.

"The issue is representation. We are not saying population is the only guiding principle. Geographical and special interests are to be considered too," Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau, told The Standard on Saturday.

"We are going to engage other people with divergent views," Mathira MP Ephraim Maina said. He was referring to MPs from North Eastern and Coast provinces who are calling for "one-kilometre, one-vote".

"We must have a system of drawing electoral borders that is the international best practice," said Limuru MP Peter Mwathi.

At the meeting, the MPs drew examples from the United States, where representation in the House of Representatives is based on its population, to buttress their case.

The forum heard California, the most populous State, with about 33 million people, had 53 representatives, compared to only one for Alaska, the largest of the 50 states.

New Jersey, whose size is a fraction of Alaska, has 13 representatives due to its bigger population (8.6 million).

The IIBRC, which is mandated to review both administrative and electoral boundaries, will hold public sittings in Central Province from Monday, for three days.

The MPs say the commission should have first fix a criteria to demarcate electoral boundaries, arguing the present approach could influence its work resulting in some voting blocs unfairly given additional constituencies.

The row over whether constituencies should be increased and the criteria is building up into a firestorm.

While central Kenya is pushing for more constituencies based on population, northern Kenya wants more elective units based on the vastness of their areas.