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{
    "id": 777856,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/777856/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 243,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wetangula",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Minority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 210,
        "legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
        "slug": "moses-wetangula"
    },
    "content": " Madam Temporary Speaker, I congratulate the distinguished Senator for Makueni County for a job well done and for ably moving the Bill. I remember the precursor to this Bill was a Motion that I also seconded the distinguished Senator in the last Parliament. It was informed by the fact that we have a lacuna in the law and the Constitution provides a framework that will then have to be developed into law. Article 188 of the Constitution makes reference to alteration of county boundaries and stops there. So, this Bill, now gives meaning to the provisions of Article 188 of the Constitution. I will adopt in totality the salient technical details that the Mover has gone through and put on record and urge this House to support this Bill. If you look around the country, there are several flash points between counties on the issue of boundaries. Right from where I come from, we have a flash point between Busia and Bungoma counties in an area called Malakisi, more particularly, Changara. We have a flash point between your County of Kisumu and Vihiga County in Maseno. In fact, a question has come to this Floor more than once by the distinguished Senator for Vihiga County. We also have a flash point between your County of Kisumu and Kericho County and arguments about boundaries. We have issues between Kajiado and Makueni counties and, Kajiado and Machakos counties. As we speak, the county of the distinguished Senator for Laikipia is embroiled in an argument with Nyandarua County over their headquarters. We also know there is an argument between Nyeri and Laikipia counties. There is an argument that nearly led to some physical and armed confrontation between Meru and Isiolo counties and many other places. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Senate, as a custodian of the interests of counties, we owe it to the country to engineer a law that will have an orderly resolution of this boundary disputes. Even where the people are the same in terms of communities, ethnicity and so on, we still have those arguments. Boundaries generate very difficult relationships even between brothers. Unless there is an orderly resolution to such issues, the outcome can be quite chaotic. We have, for example, the metropolitan set up of Nairobi County. How does it relate in terms of boundary with Kajiado, Machakos and Kiambu counties?. All these need a mechanism of addressing how to deal with these boundary disputes. For example, in the case of Konza City, you saw the comedy between the governors of Makueni and Machakos counties, where they went to address the people and none of them would want to make the address on a podium labeled the other’s county. So, Gov. Mutua would come and address the people with a podium labeled Machakos County. When he finishes, they carry it away and bring another one for Gov. Kibwana to address, labeled Makueni County. This is because both Makueni and Machakos have a claim on Konza, not to mention that Kajiado County is also waiting on the wings, claiming Konza City. As a country that must be at peace with itself, a country even whatever politics we play, some of us believe 100 per cent in the unitary State called Kenya. The misbehavior of politicians and the politics of the country notwithstanding, we believe that this country The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}