This archive report was first published on 23 June 2021.
Published on June 23, 2021, Nairobi — The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has dismissed the possibility of creating 70 new constituencies as proposed in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Constitution Amendment Bill ahead of the August 9 general elections.
The commission's Acting CEO, Marjan Marjan, told the Senate Committee on Justice, Human Rights and Legal Affairs that it is expecting to complete the boundary delimitation by March 2023.
Marjan cited human resources and financial constraints as reasons why the commission cannot meet the proposed deadline.
"When you look at the human resources to be used, and the challenges in terms of finance, I don't see it feasible that we will be able to do boundaries now and use it for the general election," he said.
The BBI had proposed the creation of 70 new constituencies, which would have increased the number of elected MPs from 290 to 360.
Article 89 of the Constitution requires the IEBC to review boundaries of electoral zones at intervals of not less than eight years and not more than 12.
Marjan assured Kenyans that the Commission has conducted data analysis drawn from the 2019 national census and has commenced pilot data collection in Machakos and Embu.
He attributed the delay in carrying out the exercise to lack of adequate finances.
