By Steve Mkawale

Nakuru Town is one of six constituencies in the larger Nakuru District that has been divided into four administrative zones.

The constituency was established just before the General Election in 1963.

Population explosion due to massive immigration of people from the villages has brought administrative challenges.

Public amenities are stretched within the Nakuru municipality; one of the reasons there are calls to split the constituency.

Leaders in the constituency have submitted a proposal to the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) but have failed to agree on where the boundary should fall.

In the proposal, they have agreed on the creation of Nakuru Town East and Nakuru Town West constituencies.

The suggestions are that Nakuru Town East should comprise part of the Central Business District, the populous Kiratini, Free Area, Pipeline, Mwariki, and parts of Lanet area, Kivumbini, Kisulisuli, Section 58, Dog Section and Naka estates.

Nakuru Town West constituency will cover Biashara, St Xavier, Afraha, Shabab, Kaptembwo, Kwa Rhoda, Baruti and Ngambo, London and parts of Kiamunyi estates.

There are two proposals for the review.

One group led by Nakuru Town Mayor David Gikaria want the boundary to be along Moi Road, behind Afraha Stadium, to join Lake Road and end at Lake Nakuru National Park.

The second proposal fronted by area MP Lee Kinyanjui suggests the boundary should start at Mburu Gichua Road that runs up to Lake Nakuru National Park.

Key tussle

Kinyanjui says the main contention over the two boundaries is where the Central Business District will fall.

"The second proposal puts the CBD under Nakuru Town East constituency while the first places it under Nakuru Town West constituency," he says.

The MP says the growing population is a challenge when it comes to planning for development projects.

Municipality boundaries have been extended to accommodate rural areas around the town.

The council’s boundaries now cover areas like Shiners, East of the town and Mercy Njeri area West of the town.

Mayor Gikaria says the number of registered voters in some civic wards also call for a split of some of the areas. "Areas like Kiratina, Biashara and Kivumbini have a high number of voters while Baruti and Baruti East have low populations."

"These areas need to be reviewed to have equal representation," he says.

However, Kinyanjui says the dispute over the boundary is not an issue.

"The most important issue is that we have agreed the constituency needs to be split. The boundary matter can be resolved later," he says.

Equal representation

Other leaders backing the split says the move will offer equal representation and a chance for areas like Ngambo, Baruti and Baruti East benefit from the Constituency Development Fund.

"These areas lack essential services like running water and electricity simply because the population is small and the people elected focus on areas they got majority votes," says Hospital Ward councillor Mr Stephen Kiprono Chumo.

Chumo says apart from the Mirugi Kariuki, who died in the Marsabit air crash, no other leader has given the area any attention in terms of development.

"Schools in the area are built of mud and iron sheets, while resident still have to walk long distances in search of water," he says.

School bursaries

Chumo further observes that children from those areas have not fully benefited from bursaries.

"It is time those people got a constituency so that development will not be concentrated on one side of the municipality," he says.