Secessionist lawyer Kaluma cites marginalisation, unfair distribution of national resources

A bill calling for the secession of 40 counties from the 47 to form the People's Republic of Kenya has been submitted to Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for perusal.

Homa Bay Town MP, Peter Kaluma seeks to amend article 5 of the Constitution that defines the territorial boundaries of Kenya.

The legislator, who was part of Raila Odinga's counsel in the August Supreme court petition, cites a host of reasons among them marginalisation and unfair distribution of national resources by the Uhuru Kenyatta-led regime.

"The successive governments have violated the national values and principles of governance and instead, entrenched ethnic discrimination and exclusion, inequality and injustice in public service," reads the bill.

"The current administration has captured the state and totally emasculated Parliament, Commissions and Independent offices established to secure good governance and ready to do anything including: political assassinations, flagrant rigging of elections…," argues the bill.

Four county assemblies have passed the opposition's seven point motion to create a People's Assembly to nullify the October repeat presidential elections.

The counties, Siaya, Homa Bay, Vihiga and Busia, counties are set for the National People's Assembly convention even while coastal counties are set to debate the motion this week.

If electoral agency IEBC will be satisfied that Kaluma's Bill has met the requirements, he will have three months to submit it to all the 47 county assemblies.

For the Bill to be passed in county assemblies, the law sets a threshold of about 20 per cent of registered voters in at least 24 counties to take part in the referendum.

On approval, the bill will have to be passed by both the Senate and National Assembly. Consequently, if either of the houses will reject the bill, a referendum would be called for people to vote on secession.