Residents of Banisa Consistency in Mandera County have asked President William Ruto and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula to intervene after missing representation in parliament for one year.
Speaking to the media, the residents said they have not had a by-election since the death of their Member of Parliament (MP) Maalim Hassan in March 2023.
The constituency has not had a chance to elect a new MP because the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) lacks commissioners.
Therefore, Banisa residents want speaker Wetangula to provide guidance on how a by election with be conducted to elect an MP.
“I am asking the president, we don’t have a representative in the National Assembly, there is no MP who can air our problems,” Abdikadir Ibrahim a resident noted.
According to the residents, children from humble backgrounds who depend on National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) for bursaries continue to miss school due to lack of leadership.
“We don’t have an MP; we have a problem, and we would like the government to look into this,” Yussuf Abdi said.
Another resident, Abdi Bare, requested President Ruto and parliament to solve the IEBC selection panel row and allow for the appointment of new commissioners.
“Last year, we were adversely affected by El Nino rains, but there was no one to table our plea in parliament. We want a representative,” he said.
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Mandera Governor Plea to Ruto
Mandera Governor Mohammed Khalif backed concerns by these residents citing their unmet needs and struggles.
Khalif called on Wetangula to speed up the proposal by Mandera North MP Sheikh Abdulahi Bashir that seeks to have a by-election done without IEBC commissioners.
“Banisa people have missed representation in parliament after the passing of our brother Hassan in March last year due to the lack of IEBC commissioners,” he said.
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“This Constituency has been without a representative, it is very unfair, it has never happened in this country and the residents are really worried.”
There has been a standoff in recruitment of new IEBC officials since the retirement of the former chairman Wafula Chebukati and his commissioners.
Parliament is yet to give way forward on how the new IEBC commissioners will be appointed.
