Mbeere leaders decry neglect, want Embu County split into two

A section of Mbeere leaders and activists are calling for the creation of an independent Mbeere County, a move that pushes for the expansive Embu County to be divided into two.

The leaders, led by former MCA Joseph Muthami, on Friday afternoon held a procession to Parliament to present their plea to the Speakers of both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The leaders claim that the Embu County government has, for years, neglected and marginalised the Mbeere community and that time has now come for the people of Mbeere to chart their own path and have their own government.

In a letter addressed to the Clerk of the National Assembly, the group has called on the government to oversee the “alteration of the Embu County boundary to create a separate Mbeere County.”

"We strongly believe there is a need to split Embu County into two hereby creating two separate entities...considering the cultural and historical differences between the two communities," part of the letter reads.

"The inequitable allocation of resources to the Ambeere people has exposed them to vulnerability due to the economic suppression by the Embu County leadership, forcing them to live in a deplorable state."

The group, whose lawyer Dennis Wachira Micere also accompanied them to Parliament, added that Mbeere has, for years, been shunned when it comes to resource allocation and that the Ambeere people occupy very few influential offices in the county government.

"We have decided to take this bold move and take matters into our own hands. We've been far too oppressed. Also, this is not a mere political move, its basically a community coming together to fight for what is rightfully theirs," lawyer Micere told Citizen Digital.

Embu County is one of the most populous counties in the Mt. Kenya region; it is divided into 5 sub-counties, with a total of 20 county assembly wards, 51 locations and 127 locations.

The county has four constituencies and was previously under the leadership of former Governor Martin Wambora who served two terms, before paving way for current county boss Cecily Mbarire.