The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has announced a list of names of various counties whose names will be changed and renamed.
According to the commission, these seven counties that they have listed will be changed their names in a bid to get rid of their ethnic identities across the country immediately.
Also Read: Viral Video Shows New Trick Used By Traffic Officers To Collect Bribes
In a statement, the Cohesion and Integration Commission listed Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Nandi, Kisii, Turkana, Embu and Samburu as counties whose names should be changed due to their ethnic naming.
Reports indicate that the commission wrote a report to the Senate Standing Committee of National Cohesion and Integration, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration proposing the change.
“This factor has entrenched a sense of entitlement by some communities leading to overrepresentation in sharing of public resources,” said the committee in the report.
Acting NCIC secretary/CEO, Harrison Kariuki said that the naming of counties under the First Schedule of the constitution needs to be relooked to ensure that entitlement of these communities is trimmed.
“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.”
The CEO also noted that 33 out of 47 counties in the country have boundary disputes and recommended that IEBC should restructure the boundaries in a way that disputes will not emerge or worsen the situation.
“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.”