Ford Kenya Party has reiterated its opposition to the Punguza Mzigo bill drafted by Third Way Alliance Party under the leadership of Dr. Ekuru Aukot. Ford Kenya’s Deputy party leader Richard Onyonka has said as a party they don’t support the bill which seeks to reduce the number of constituencies and scrap off wards, “We strongly oppose the bill because it proposes the removal of wards and merging of constituencies yet there are counties that need even to be split because of their large size.”
Speaking in Teso south, Onyonka also faulted the bill for proposing the removal of Constituency Development Fund (CDF), “I want to tell my friend Aukot, we are not going to remove CDF, we are not going to remove wards and we are going to shoot down that bill when it comes to parliament. We are telling Kenyans let’s wait for the BBI (Building Bridges Initiative) recommendation and that is what we shall use to offload the burden that Kenyans are shouldering.”
His sentiments were echoed by Busia County Woman Representative Florence Mutua said going by her seven years’ experience in leadership, there is need to increase the number of representatives and devolved funds, “I have been a women representative for seven years now and I can tell you this County is big, even Governor Sospeter Ojaamong can attest to that. The County’s needs are many and the area is big. If you say you merge constituencies to have only two MPs, a man and a woman, it will be tedious for them.”
Apart from the Punguza Mzigo bill, Onyonka who is the Kitutu Chache MP has hinted that he will table a bill in parliament which will ensure that all food that is imported is safe for human consumption.
According to Onyonka, some of the food imported from foreign countries may be the cause of cancer that is killing Kenyans at a high rate including prominent leaders, “We may not know, maybe the food we eat which is imported from outside is what is causing us to develop cancer. I request the government and other legislators to support the motion once we table it in parliament as Ford Kenya party.”
