Omollo, Gerrymandering in Kenya

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

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Do you consider it a problem?  Has it affected the level of representation that some regions enjoy?  Do some regions have more constituencies than their population justifies and vice versa?

I am thinking you would be in a good position to know given your resourcefulness on such questions.

[Omollo]

Pundit is better placed.

Representation is based on population and geography. It boils down to the census and how accurate it really is. There are complaints against it. For example why does it consistently show Luos as a small tribe but the election results tell a different story?

The winner the last time round were the RVs. They got more constituencies than anybody else.

We may experience the first real gerrymandering when there is another demarcation of boundaries. That is because some constituencies would vanish and new one created - exactly as it is supposed to be. Had that not happened, the loser would have been Central Province. There were very many constituencies there that fell short of the minimum number of persons requisite to create a constituency.

[RV Pundit]

The answer is Yes and NO.

Yes. First I'm okay if NEP and Turkana can cheat a little bit census wise. It only fair given what they've been thro. Now when it come to non-marginalized areas; what was very surprising during the last demarcation was how central who were crying gerrymandering were mostly favored;I'm not sure for how many years protected const will enjoy; but until 2019; we will go to next election with same constitutuencies.

Ethnically those disadvantaged are tribes who have dispersed mostly into urban areas. Kikuyu,Luo and Luhyas are most affected. The Luos in Nakuru or Naivasha or in Mombasa or in Kiambu or in Kericho will not be getting any representation anytime soon. The same kind be said of Kikuyus in Kisumu or etc.

Kalenjin enjoy the advantage because they've not urbanize...they are disadvantaged in few areas of Nakuru or Kitale and etc. So Kalenjin have nearly 60 mps just as many as Kikuyus have.

Was there gerrymandering. Yes. And alot of it. the numbers may look okay but where the boundary is drawn matters.

For example Eldoret town was sliced into six...all ending in town...with sole intention of disenfranchising non-natives.
Nandi split tinderet..in a way to disenfranchise kipsigis and luhyas.
Maasai split Narok south...in a way to disfranchise kipsigis...

Those are the few i'm aware of....I know there are many more like those all over the country.

In short until we have use like SQUARES AND RECTANGLES...straight lines....our boundaries with all funny corners are meant to GERRYMANDER.

Kenya borders are drawn largely along tribal, sub tribal and clan lines.

US borders are largely straight and some in perfect squares because they made effort to foster unity. But they didn't have to deal with 42 tribes..and 1000 clans.

Pundit is better placed.

Representation is based on population and geography. It boils down to the census and how accurate it really is. There are complaints against it. For example why does it consistently show Luos as a small tribe but the election results tell a different story?

The winner the last time round were the RVs. They got more constituencies than anybody else.

We may experience the first real gerrymandering when there is another demarcation of boundaries. That is because some constituencies would vanish and new one created - exactly as it is supposed to be. Had that not happened, the loser would have been Central Province. There were very many constituencies there that fell short of the minimum number of persons requisite to create a constituency.

[Georgesoros]

Actually judicial boundaries are drawn according to population. More people means more representatives = more political clout. Each member of congress represents the same number of persons. Since more people are moving South, northern states have been losing the number of representatives. gerrymandering also exists when it comes to Dems and Reps.

[Omollo]

For example Eldoret town was sliced into six...all ending in town...with sole intention of disenfranchising non-natives.
Nandi split tinderet..in a way to disenfranchise kipsigis and luhyas.
Maasai split Narok south...in a way to disfranchise kipsigis...

Those are the few i'm aware of....I know there are many more like those all over the country.

In short until we have use like SQUARES AND RECTANGLES...straight lines....our boundaries with all funny corners are meant to GERRYMANDER.

Kenya borders are drawn largely along tribal, sub tribal and clan lines.

US borders are largely straight and some in perfect squares because they made effort to foster unity. But they didn't have to deal with 42 tribes..and 1000 clans.

The two parties cheat routinely. The last one I heard of was Texas where some state legislators had to run and hide out of the state to block the gerrymandering. Theirs is based on race and established voting trends. Important voting blocs are split to meaninglessness.

The panacea to treat this malady is a simple dose of Proportional Representation where the entire country is one constituency. The parties are then awarded seats in accordance with their share of the vote. The MPs are extracted from a preselected list submitted to the electoral body and the voters.

Some countries go as far as allowing individual voters to alter the list. Since the number one on the list gets the first seat won and then two, three, etc. So the higher up the list the better the chance of getting elected, even if you come from an area which votes against your party. So voters are allowed to change the ranking. Some countries protect the party leader at the top. Others allow the party leader an automatic seat, if his party is represented.

PR would solve the Gender Question in elections. All parties would be required to rank their lists such that there are as many women as men on the lists. Thus if the man is number one (odd number), the women take two and all the even numbers on the list. This is done through party voting and nomination.

Pundit, just a side comment: Ligale made a mess of the last process. He even created a constituency for himself. Unfortunately the fact that any revisiting of the process would lead to the loss of seats lined up RV, Nyanza and Coast 100% against it. He made a few cosmetic changes, dropped the constituency he had curved around his house near Maseno - Kima and retired to his corrupt wealth.

I fear that rather than lose constituencies, the MPigs will protect the existing constituencies and increase the number. I am for a reduction of constituencies and an increase of MCAs.

[RV Pundit]

Interesting Omollo. I guess we can never get a perfect systems. The reviews are set for every 10 yrs. That should correct at least the glaring ones.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

For example Eldoret town was sliced into six...all ending in town...with sole intention of disenfranchising non-natives.
Nandi split tinderet..in a way to disenfranchise kipsigis and luhyas.
Maasai split Narok south...in a way to disfranchise kipsigis...

Those are the few i'm aware of....I know there are many more like those all over the country.

In short until we have use like SQUARES AND RECTANGLES...straight lines....our boundaries with all funny corners are meant to GERRYMANDER.

Kenya borders are drawn largely along tribal, sub tribal and clan lines.

US borders are largely straight and some in perfect squares because they made effort to foster unity. But they didn't have to deal with 42 tribes..and 1000 clans.

The two parties cheat routinely. The last one I heard of was Texas where some state legislators had to run and hide out of the state to block the gerrymandering. Theirs is based on race and established voting trends. Important voting blocs are split to meaninglessness.

The panacea to treat this malady is a simple dose of Proportional Representation where the entire country is one constituency. The parties are then awarded seats in accordance with their share of the vote. The MPs are extracted from a preselected list submitted to the electoral body and the voters.

Some countries go as far as allowing individual voters to alter the list. Since the number one on the list gets the first seat won and then two, three, etc. So the higher up the list the better the chance of getting elected, even if you come from an area which votes against your party. So voters are allowed to change the ranking. Some countries protect the party leader at the top. Others allow the party leader an automatic seat, if his party is represented.

PR would solve the Gender Question in elections. All parties would be required to rank their lists such that there are as many women as men on the lists. Thus if the man is number one (odd number), the women take two and all the even numbers on the list. This is done through party voting and nomination.

Pundit, just a side comment: Ligale made a mess of the last process. He even created a constituency for himself. Unfortunately the fact that any revisiting of the process would lead to the loss of seats lined up RV, Nyanza and Coast 100% against it. He made a few cosmetic changes, dropped the constituency he had curved around his house near Maseno - Kima and retired to his corrupt wealth.

I fear that rather than lose constituencies, the MPigs will protect the existing constituencies and increase the number. I am for a reduction of constituencies and an increase of MCAs.

[RV Pundit]

Interesting so outside the states and county boundaries that seem to have fine line...you have really funny shaped districts.