A section of residents in the newly created Buuri constituency have appealed to the government to change the constituency's headquarters from Timau to Kiirua town.
The residents said that they had to access the far flung town of Timau to access government services.
Speaking to the press in Meru town, area resident Paul Bundi said Kiirua town was more centralized and hence easier access by the constituents.
“Timau town is at the periphery of Meru county bordering Laikipia.Kiirua is centrally located for all of Buuri residents all the way from Naari, Ruiri, Rwarera, Mbaaria areas. Residents from these areas are forced to board two or three vehicles to access the DC or DO.”
“It will also be very expensive to travel from the mentioned areas to Timau to seek services as compared to Kiirua,”he said.
Bundi claimed that politicians with vested interests had urged the Interim Electoral and Boundaries Committee (IEBC) to go by proposals unpopular to the majority of the residents.
“Kiirua has highly established and developed infrastructure. The rooted town of Timau does not have much of the required facilities and will therefore demand heavy investments that could be used for other urgent needs of the whole of Buuri constituency,” Bundi said.
He also claimed that the area had been misrepresented by the previous regime.
“For justice and and equality during the election period,voters will be required to travel all the way to Timau which will be the tallying center for the constituency. It is going to be hard for residents to travel from the mentioned areas to know the results,” he said.
Buuri was previously part of the Imenti North constituency represented by Silas Muriuki.
Another resident, Silas Muriungi urged residents to be calm and expressed optimism that the problem will be solved amicably.
He said the IEBC had failed to take into consideration the geographical location of the area.
“Issues of misrepresentation,injustices and underdevelopment have to be dealt with by the new leadership. We want a leader who will not only define our future but that of our children and grandchildren,” Muriungi said.
“We ask that the new leadership be considerate of the needs of the people. And they can start by ensuring constituents from all over the new constituency don't travel hundreds of kilometers to access services at Timau,” he said.
Mwiti Nkanata, a youth leader, said the area was facing many problems and urged those vying for the seat to be development conscious.
“We the youth have decided to never again be used by individuals for their own self serving needs. We want a leadership that has the interests of the people at heart.We are going to be peaceful and ensure that Buuri is one of the the best constituency,” he said.
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