President William Ruto has responded to residents of Angurai in Busia County regarding their request for the creation of Teso County.
While addressing the residents on Sunday, the residents requested the President to look into the issue.
"Mnatakaje kwa Kaunti? Ooh Kaunti ya Teso? Mnanipatia kibarua," he said.
(What do you want in regards to the County? Ooh, you want Teso County? That is a hard task)
“What you are asking me is hard but I will try my best," he said.
Creation of a new county will require constitutional amendment.
The President said that after all the development projects he has programmed for the County, they should be ready to vote for him.
"If you want me to continue working for you, then you must also reciprocate during the voting period," he said.
This is after a section of leaders from the Teso community in Western Kenya requested to have their county created.
In October 2023, while appearing before the National Dialogue Committee, the leaders said they continue to be marginalised under Busia County.
Teso South MP Mary Emaase said as a minority and marginalised group, Iteso of Busia County have never, since independence and enactment of the 2010 Constitution, been accorded opportunities.
"We have not been accorded opportunities in educational and economic fields, access employment, water, health and infrastructure," she stated.
She added that the community has not been able to develop cultural values, languages and practices.
"It is not lost to members of this Bi-Partisan Dialogue Committee of the common current claim by the previous and current political elites that the Western region is a Mulembe Nation.
"This is extremely prejudicial," she added.
According to the Kenya Population Census 2019, the total population of Busia County stood at 893,681 out of which 306,150 are Iteso representing 34.3 per cent of the entire Busia County population.
Teso North MP Oku Kaunya noted that Busia County has 35 wards and therefore 35 elected members of the County Assembly.
"However, only 12 are members of the Iteso community," he stated.
He added that there are 18 nominated members of the County Assembly out of which only one is from the Iteso Community.
"This means that try as they can, no Motion by the Iteso community can be passed in the County Assembly," he said.