NCIC push to change names of Counties bearing community titles

The counties that risks their names changing includes Nandi, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Samburu and Turkana.

NCIC is of the opinion the naming counties to reflect dominant community is fueling ethnic profiling, balkanization and creating a notion that such a county belongs to a certain ethnic group.

Appearing before the Senate Standing Committee on National Cohesion and Integrity, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration, NCIC boss Samuel Kobia told the committee that the way counties using community names has led to overrepresentation and inequality.

“This factor [of naming counties] has entrenched a sense of entitlement by some communities leading to overrepresentation and sharing of public resources,” Kobia said.

According to NCIC latest report 34 counties have employed 74 percent of the dominant community in the county, leaving minority group with few positions.

The integration commission said counties commiting this offense should be punished.

Border Disputes
The names that counties adopted after promulgation of 2010 constitution has fueled boundary disputes which has become difficult to solve because the constitutional provision on sorting county boundaries disputes has not been implemented.

Over 40 boundary disputes have been witnessed in the last ten years which has resulted in fights and deaths of people.

Among the counties that have seen this boundary disputes includes Kisumu-Kericho, Turkana-Baringo-West Pokot, Isiolo-Meru, Kisumu-Vihiga, Makueni-Taita Taveta, Kisii-Nyamira, and Kitui-Tana River.

These disputes have created tensions among communities in the neighbouring counties.

In July 2023 one person was killed at Sondu Market at Kisumu-Kericho Border. This was also followed by killing of two other people at Nyakach Sub-County. This translated to an armed conflict between Kisumu and Kericho residents, with some reports suggesting that more people were killed during the fights while many other were injured.

Role of IEBC
While it’s widely believed that Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is mandated with delimitation of boundaries, the constitution stipulates the IEBC can delimit constituencies and wards only.

However article 188 of the constitution mandates the Parliament to establish an independent commission to address county border disputes. In 2023 a Boundaries Bill 2023 was fronted in Parliament. It sought to create an independent county boundaries commission to solve disputes and sort out boundaries issues. However this has not been actualized leaving counties with boundary disputes up to date.

The push to change names of counties bearing community titles is one step at achieving cohesion and Integration in the country, but boundary issue could be an obstacle that also requires intervention urgently.