Boundaries team put on hold by cancelled census tally

By Beauttah Omanga

Should the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission determine boundaries of the proposed 80 new constituencies without the cancelled census results?

While releasing the 2009 census results, Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya announced that results from some districts had been cancelled due to inconsistencies.

Yesterday, leaders differed on the way forward for the IIBRC in the regions where results were cancelled.

It also emerged that IIBRC is in a state of confusion as to what figures they should apply, while calculating regional balance.

A member of the Commission Roza Buyu said they have written to the National Census office requesting a final figure to guide them.

"We have written to the concerned department to give us the nearest approximation of the total number of Kenyans, a figure we will use in our work as we race against time," said Ms Buyu.

She said IIBRC might not wait for the recount of residents in regions whose results were cancelled.

"The department has been the source of projected figures for those regions whose results had issues. We expect to be furnished with them for the sake of the new constituencies," said Buyu, who added that her views were personal.

Respect law

And as she spoke, North Eastern leaders led by former MP Billow Kerrow said IIBRC should suspend the boundaries review until the contested results are addressed.

"We are moving to court to seek an order to stop the IIBRC from proceeding with its work until all census results are received and declared," said Mr Kerrow.

He said IIBRC should respect the law that requires them to carry out fresh delimitation using the country’s total population census.

But Ikolomani MP Bonny Khalwale and Assistant Ministers Wilfred Ombui and Richard Onyonka said IIBRC should carry on with its mandate without any hindrance.

"While we feel for those regions whose results were cancelled, let the other results be used to determine new constituencies," said Onyonka.