Punguza Mizigo bill faces rough reception in Nyandarua

A section of Ol Kalou residents during the Punguza Mizigo bill public participation at Ol Kalou ACK Church Hall on September 12, 2019. PHOTO | WAIKWA MAINA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The Punguza Mizigo bill has not been received in four of the five constituencies in Nyandarua County.

During public participation forums in Ol Kalou, Ndaragua, Kipipiri and Ol Joro Orok constituencies residents raised concerns over the proposal.

QUESTIONS

Participants in the poorly attended forums were unhappy with the introduction of a single seven-year term for the president, sharing of national resources, representation and merging and amending the constituency boundaries.

In the sittings conducted by the assembly legal committee and intergovernmental relations at Ndaragua, the residents said the drafters of the amendment document failed to provide solution on the remuneration of all elected leaders and that the document has many gaps open to political manipulation and abuse if approved by the assemblies.

In Ol Kalou sittings at Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Hall chaired by the intergovernmental relations committee chairperson in the assembly and Ol Kalou Members of County Assembly Ken Mukira, the residents said the proposed amendments are a threat to devolution.

“Nyandarua County is too big to be represented by only two elected leaders. There already exists a big discrepancy in sharing of natural resources and the proposed amendments will worsen an already worse situation, it does not conclusively address the issues of distribution and sharing of the national resource once the constituencies are merged,” said Mr Zacharia Mwaura at Kipipiri Constituency.

MCA Mukira’s committee was on Friday moving for public participation in Kinangop constituency for the final public participation forums before embarking on filing its report.

“Tabling of the report is listed among priority House Business once we resume on 23rd of October. The majority of residents have already rejected the document, a fact that we must include in our report then allow the House to debate and members to individually vote in support or rejecting the document,” said Mr Mukira.