BBI Debate – MP proposes creation of Thika County to include Gatanga, Gatundu, Ruiru and Juja.

Gatanga MP Joseph Nduati Ngugi in a File Photo

Gatanga MP Joseph Nduati Ngugi is recommending for the hiving off of the Eastern part of Kiambu County to create a new county that will constitute of Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Gatundu North, Gatundu South and Gatanga constituencies.

While expressing his opinion on the eagerly awaited BBI report over the weekend, Nduati said he supported its release and hoped that it will give Kenyans an opportunity to find solutions to some of the teething challenges they experienced with the current constitution.

He noted that the current political arrangement disadvantaged densely populated regions especially when it came to resource allocation.

Citing recent census report that showed Kiambu County with over 2 million people and with constituencies like Ruiru with over 370,000 people, Nduati said that it was very hard for leaders in such areas to serve their people adequately considering the fact that they received similar allocations with areas that were sparsely populate.

“If you also take Gatanga Constituency with a population of 187,000 people, we get the same CDF allocation of Sh. 130 million with a constituency that has a population of 30,000 people. While I am struggling to share this money amongst my people, this other MP has excess money to even offer students’ scholarships to study abroad. That is unfair distribution of resources,” he explained.

Nduati explained that the same disadvantage was felt amongst counties with bigger population such as Kiambu, thus his reasoning for a review of both county and constituency boundaries.

“We need to push for a new county hived off from the larger Kiambu to ease such challenges of underrepresentation. The new county can constitute Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Gatundu North, Gatundu South and Gatanga constituencies which share similar demographics and are conveniently located to complement each other,” he said.

The legislator also wished the BBI report should help change the Constitution to allow Cabinet secretaries being appointed from among sitting MPs. He argued that MPs were more conversant with the challenges facing their people unlike the current set of CSes who operated purely on theoretical policies.