Langata Constituency

Lang'ata
constituency
for the Parliament of Kenya
CountyNairobi City
Area196.8 km2 (76.0 sq mi)
Current constituency
Created1963
Number of membersOne
PartyODM
Member of ParliamentPhelix Odiwuor

Lang'ata Constituency is an electoral constituency in Nairobi City County. It is one of the seventeen constituencies in the county, consisting of southern and southwestern areas of Nairobi. Langata constituency had common boundaries with a now-defunct Kibera Division of Nairobi. It is the largest constituency in Nairobi with an area of 196.80 km2 (76.0 sq mi). It was known as Nairobi South Constituency at the 1963 elections but since the 1969 elections it has been known as Lang'ata Constituency.

Kibera, Kenya's largest slum, borders Lang'ata Constituency, and was part of it before the creation of Kibra Constituency by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission; though there is a smaller portion of the slum that is still part of Lang'ata Constituency.[1]

The affluent suburb of Karen and the mainly middle class Lang'ata suburb are part of Langata Constituency, along with the Nairobi National Park and Lang'ata Barracks, which housed the King's African Rifles during British colonial rule.

Members of Parliament

Lang'ata Constituency is represented by Felix Odiwour, following the Kenyan general election of 2022. Before this, the constituency was represented in Parliament by Nixon Korir. The first Langata MP Joseph Murumbi served as a Vice-President of Kenya from 1966 to 1967. Former Langata MP Philip Leakey was the first white Kenyan MP.

Another noteworthy former Langata MP is Mwangi Mathai, the former husband of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai.

Elections MP[2] Party Notes
1963 Joseph Murumbi KANU
1969 Yunis Ali KANU One-party system
1974 Mwangi Mathai KANU One-party system
1979 Philip Leakey KANU One-party system
1983 Philip Leakey KANU One-party system.
1988 Philip Leakey KANU One-party system.
1992 Raila Odinga Ford-Kenya
1997 Raila Odinga NDP
2002 Raila Odinga NARC / LDP
2007 Raila Odinga ODM
2013 Joash Olum[citation needed] Orange Democratic Movement
2017 Nixon Kiprotich Korir Jubilee
2022 Felix Odiwour ODM

Wards

Lang'ata Constituency is divided into five wards, each of which elects a representative to the Nairobi County Assembly.

Ward Area (km²) Population
Karen 48 24,507
Nairobi West 6.9 33,377
Mugumoini 126.4 47,037
South C 15.1 47,202
Nyayo Highrise 0.4 24,191
Total 196.8 176,314
2009 census.[3]

Lang'ata Sub-county

The Sub-county shares the same boundaries with the constituency. The sub-county is Deputy County Commissioner, working under the Ministry of Interior.[4]

References

  1. ^ "IEBC notably alters Ligale proposals". www.capitalfm.co.ke. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  2. ^ Center for Multiparty Democracy: Politics and Paliamenterians in Kenya 1944-2007 Archived 28 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "mudavadi2013.com". Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  4. ^ "County Governments Act No. 17 of 2012" (PDF). Law Society of Kenya. p. 39. Retrieved 4 November 2022.