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{
    "id": 1395443,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1395443/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 299,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "the issue of altercations that come with altering those boundaries because of different issues. I find this Bill amazingly placed in the context of helping our counties to define their borders. Last year, one of the biggest confrontations that we had in this House was on the issue of Sondu versus Kericho. If you remember, my brother, Sen. (Dr.) Boni Khalwale of Kakamega together with yours truly, Eddy Oketch, had a small confrontation on the loss of lives in Sondu. This loss was in a such a way that the people between Kisumu and Kericho have been fighting over what constitutes the boundary of those two counties. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, sometimes these disputes come with economic excitement and interest. If you look at Sondu, it is one of the most performing markets in that region. Sometimes, the issue is; who collects the local revenue in this border centre that attracts serious economic activity and the arrangement becomes an endemic fight that will always go on? This Bill seeks to put together a good legal framework that can allow people to sit and address these issues. We know that Article 188 that has been quoted here a number of times does not suggest that the disputes of boundaries will be sorted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). The IEBC comes in boundaries review. However, before reviewing the boundaries, there is the question of, where do I belong as a person from Kisumu or Kericho? Even most recently, where do I belong as a person from Kisii if I am from Kisii vis-a-vis where do I belong as a person from Nyamira? That fundamental question of what is actually the boundary of a county comes to play before IEBC can review the boundary. So, before we talk about boundaries review, that is the basic definition this Bill seeks to address by establishing what it calls the Independent Counties Boundaries Commission (ICBC). This Commission is in line with Article 188 of the Constitution because this Article does not refer to IEBC as the fundamental institution to resolve the issue of boundaries. However, it refers to any independent commission that can be formed using a Parliamentary process such as this one that Sen. M. Kajwang’ has rightfully put together in this Bill to help us rethink the issue of boundaries. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this is important because the nature of our boundaries that were drawn under the Districts and Provinces Act, 1992 and the physical features or the landmarks that were used at that time have since changed. If you think about it, many things have changed from 1992 to to date. In 1992, I remember there was the Rio Summit that sought to bring to the attention of some grassroots communities the idea of climate change. No one took climate change very seriously at that time because it was an issue that had just come in 1998 through one National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientist called James Hansen. He brought that to the Senate of the United State of America (USA) that climate change was becoming a major issue that needed to be addressed. If you look at the case for investment in climate change since 1992 to date, there has not been a robust investment to deal with the problems of climate change. Now, a The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}