The Senate opened a window yesterday to hear public views on the electoral laws amendment as it sought to douse the bitter acrimony witnessed in the National Assembly last week when the laws were passed.
Before the Senate can debate and vote on the amendments, Speaker Ekwee Ethuro directed the Standing Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights to sit and hear views from stakeholders before tabling a report for debate.
The Speaker also allowed the committee on Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) to sit with the committee following a request by Leader of Minority Moses Wetang’ula. Ethuro told the Senate Special Sitting that the committee, chaired by Busia senator Amos Wako (and the ICT one chaired by Nyeri senator Mutahi Kagwe) would meet with all interested stakeholders including the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), members of the civil society, Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) International Commission of Jurists (ICJ-Kenya), Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) and Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem), to scrutinise the report and allow public participation before tabling a report on the floor of the Senate.
Wetang’ula said the inclusion of the ICT committee would deal with some of the issues raised in the amendments. Ethuro announced there will be two Special Sittings on Wednesday next week, where the proposed amendments to the election laws will be subjected to debate and a vote.
The Speaker revealed to the House that the Senate Leader of Majority Kithure Kindiki had indicated to him he would be requesting for two Special Sittings on Wednesday — morning and afternoon — in order to deliberate and dispose of the matter. Once the committee concludes with the report, it will be expected to table it in the Senate to guide debate on the amendments.
Should the senators approve the amendments, then the bill will be forwarded to the President for assent, but should they disagree with their counterparts who passed it in the National Assembly, then a mediation committee would be formed to deliberate on the matter. The changes that the senators are considering include a manual backup system for voter identification and results transmission should the technology used by IEBC fail.
Senators had yesterday been expected to debate and vote on the matter but the Speaker took the amicable path that could affirm or change the course the bill has taken. The Special Sittings of the Senate, however, will come at a time when Cord leaders have threatened to hold demonstrations to protest the passing of the bill at the National Assembly.
Speaking in Malindi, Cord leader Raila Odinga yesterday said a decision on whether to defer street protests would be made after getting a brief from the coalition’s Senate leadership. In his ruling, Ethuro appealed to senators to portray decorum and maturity as they debate the said amendments to avoid polarising the country.
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