MP initiates fresh bid to split Ruiru constituency

Ruiru Member of Parliament (MP) Simon King'ara has initiated a fresh bid to have the populous constituency split into two.

In the initiative to create an extra electoral area, the legislator has written to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) highlighting the need for the split.

"In the interest of fair representation, the desire to create a new constituency cannot be over-emphasized. The Commission has already given a nod for public participation sessions that will start from mid-October in Ruiru town," King'ara stated.

King'ara said the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) had proposed to create three constituencies from Ruiru however the electoral commission rejected the idea stating that the proposal may not be viable at the moment.

"Members of the public have been invited to give their views and suggestions on the name of the extra constituency and the boundaries," the MP said adding that each of the proposed electoral areas will have at least 4 wards.

He also noted that the proposed split will create Ruiru and Githurai constituencies adding that the latter has already been gazetted as a sub-county.

Ruiru with a population of approximately 700,000 and eight wards is one of the largest constituencies in the country and was among the electoral areas listed for subdivision in proposals by the aborted Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

The constituency is one of the 12 constituencies in Kiambu County which have a cumulative voter population of 1.2 million.