Mombasa,KENYA: Mvita constituency is among the constituencies that might lose their status in 2022.
This is if the constituency does not meet the population quota set by the constitution after the 2019 census.
After the census, the Independent electoral and boundaries commission is set to review the boundaries before August 2021 an exercise estimated to cost sh. 8 billion.
During the last boundaries review exercise which was conducted in 2010 the population quota was set at 133,138 for rural areas and 186, 393 for constituencies in cities of Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, however, the figure for the upcoming review could be raised following an increase in the population.
The quota is derived by dividing the total population with the number of constituencies.
The requirements for a constituency to maintain its status are that the constituency must have a margin of 40% above or below the population quota for constituencies in cities and 30% for constituencies in sparsely populated areas.
As at the 2009 census, Mvita constituency had a population of 74,735 and it was among the protected constituencies during the 2010 boundaries review exercise a privilege that might not be accorded during the upcoming exercise according to The Star newspaper.
That means if Mvita was not a protected constituency its population requirements would have been at a population of between 111,835 and 260, 950 people.
27 constituencies that were protected during the 2010 review also risk losing their status; 8 of the constituencies being from the Coast region, this includes Lamu East, Lamu West,Galole ,Bura , Taveta , Voi , Wundayi ,Mwatate.
