By LEONARD KORIR
The Maasai and Kipsigis communities in Trans Mara have rubbished the report of the IEBC on delimitations of constituencies and wards.
In rare unity, the two communities buried their long-standing differences and unanimously resolved that district boundaries be adopted as constituency boundaries as per their views to the defunct Ligale commission.
Led by Kilgoris MP Gideon Konchellah, the leaders blamed the IEBC for tampering with their earlier proposal and demanded the commission heed their requests.
Mr Konchellah poked holes into the report, saying it failed to address the initial objective of splitting the larger Kilgoris constituency to end the bloody political competitions between the Maasai and Kipsigis.
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Addressing a leaders consultative meeting at the Little Sisters Hall in Kilgoris, Konchellah exuded optimism that peace and harmony would finally prevail now that the communities had been separated and given an opportunity to govern themselves.
Clan politics
Earlier, emotions ran high as Maasai representatives complained over the location of the IEBC regional office in Bomet, and demanded it be relocated to Narok County.
"We suspect that some individuals have taken advantage to doctor our views and we appeal to the commission to relocate the offices to Narok to align it with the county government," said Joseph ole Tasur, a community elder.
Clan politics also took centre stage as the Maasai community shared out six wards based on the three clans of Moitanik, Siria and Uasin Gishu with each getting two wards.
The Kipsigis shared out the remaining four wards, including the disputed Njipship and Ololmasani wards that had been hived out from the newly created Emurua Dikirr constituency.
However, a section of residents criticised the move saying it was ethnically based and aimed at alienating one tribe.
According to Richard Birrir, an aspirant for the Narok County governor seat, the proposal to split the constituency on tribal base was wrong because it did not focus on the spirit of integration and reconciliation.
