The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) wants seven counties to be renamed.
NCIC noted that the counties—Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Nandi, Kisii, Turkana, Embu and Samburu are identified by specific ethnic groups.
“This factor has entrenched a sense of entitlement by some communities leading to overrepresentation in sharing of public resources,” the NCIC said in a report to the Senate Standing Committee of National Cohesion and Integration, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration.
Earlier, acting NCIC secretary/CEO, Harrison Kariuki said the naming of counties under the First Schedule of the constitution needs to be relooked.
“The naming of counties is a factor that has led to ethnic profiling and balkanisation as it created an impression that the county belonged to certain groups,” Kariuki told the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security on August 6, 2024.
Kariuki told the committee chaired by Saku MP Dido Raso that the naming of counties under the First Schedule of the constitution needs to be relooked.
He further noted that 33 out of 47 counties in the country have boundary disputes.
“NCIC recommends that the delimitation of boundaries should be undertaken by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and in such a way that it would not exacerbate the existing boundary disputes or deepen structural inequalities or lead to violent conflicts among communities,” the report said.
NCIC is tasked with various responsibilities aimed at fostering national cohesion and integration.
