Kisii deputy speaker arrested over demos demanding more constituencies
Police in Kisii disperse protesters during a demonstration calling for Bobasi Constituency to be split, January 31, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Mr Davins Onuso, who is the Masige East ward representative, was dramatically arrested hours after police and protesters engaged in running battles.
- The MCA confronted the officers, demanding that they clear roads for the demonstration but they bundled him into their vehicle and drove him to Nyangusu police station.
Police in Kisii on Sunday arrested Deputy Speaker Davins Onuso for allegedly leading an unlawful demonstration demanding more constituencies in the county.
Mr Davins Onuso, who is the Masige East ward representative, was dramatically arrested hours after police and protesters engaged in running battles.
Bobasi residents have been calling on the government to split the constituency, saying it is vast and densely populated.
The constituency has eight wards and was not among those considered for subdivision when a proposal for the creation of 70 new constituencies was presented under the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
It has a population of at least 200,000 and 211 government schools.
Police notified
Police dispersed the protesters by hurling teargas canisters at them.
The MCA confronted the officers, demanding that they clear roads for the demonstration but they bundled him into their vehicle and drove him to Nyangusu police station.
“We had notified police about the demonstration. It is unlawful that we are now being harassed,” the ward rep said before his arrest.
A few MCAs who were with him, including Blansius Mature (Bassi Boitang'are Ward) and Geoffrey Ombati (Sameta Mokwerero), fled from the scene as the demonstration turned chaotic.
Police in Kisii disperse protesters during a demonstration calling for Bobasi Constituency to be split, January 31, 2021.
Reasons for split
Leaders from Kisii have been pushing for the split of Bobasi Constituency for several reasons.
MP Innocent Obiri earlier appealed to the Independent, Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to consider splitting his constituency during its review of boundaries, saying it will ease management.
The MP noted that Bobasi is the largest constituency in Kisii and Nyamira counties, hence the need to split it into two in the next boundary review.
“Most of the constituencies in Kisii and Nyamira Counties have around five wards at most yet we get the same shares of funds from the National Treasury. Residents compare the constituency with neighbouring ones when it comes to development yet they are smaller,” said Mr Obiri.
The legislator said the constituency was carved out of Machoge-Bassi Constituency in 1988 and that Bomachoge Constituency was split into two in 2012, leaving the people of Bobasi with one constituency.
It is time for Bobasi to be split, he said, noting the need for fairness.
Last week, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said the matter was being considered by top decision makers.
Past protest
Mr Obiri said that in the Gusii region, only Nyamira was allocated one more constituency.
He added that it is unfair to allocate Nairobi the highest number of new constituencies and lock out other deserving counties.
In 2012, the IEBC proposed the carving out of sections of Bomachoge and Bobasi to create one more constituency. Residents of the areas that were to be carved out protesting, saying they wanted two more constituencies instead.
At that time, the protesters lit fires in Ogembo town in their demonstration, and reiterated that the people of Bomachoge and Bobasi were not ready to share a constituency.
The electoral body split Bomachoge into Bomachoge Chache and Bomachoge Borabu, leaving Bobasi as the only constituency.
