LSK President Isaac Okero and CEO Mercy Wambua confer during the Legal Awareness Week/COURTESY
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – The Joint Select Committee on Election-Related Laws is on Wednesday expected to receive submissions from Civil Society Organisations, religious groups and the Law Society of Kenya.
This will be the second day of the hearings even as members of the opposition National Super Alliance continued to make good on their threat that they will not sit on the committee, insisting that they will only engage their Jubilee counterparts, when the proposed bills are withdrawn.
On Tuesday, the parliamentary committee tasked with receiving public views on the controversial bills, began its public hearings with the National Council of NGOs setting up the stage.
Appearing before the Baringo North Member of Parliament, William Cheptumo led committee, the Chairman of the National Council of NGOs Stephen Cheboi welcomed the proposals and said that the laws should not divide the country, but instead bring the citizenry together.
The committee sittings continue despite the international community warning that making changes to election law right before an election is ill-advised, particularly when it is motivated by emotion; the changes being a reaction to the Supreme Court nullification of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s August 8 win.
READ: Uhuru defends knee-jerk changes to election law as envoys caution against it
President Kenyatta has however defended the changes saying he had gotten over his anger at the Supreme Court and his party was simply being proactive by pre-empting the shortfalls that could inform another nullification.
About The Author
