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Duale, Nyenze to meet House teams on electoral reform bills Tuesday

The other legislation under scrutiny is the IEBC (Amendment) Bill which proposes CORD and Jubilee Coalitions nominate four people to the IEBC Selection Panel/FILE

The other legislation under scrutiny is the IEBC (Amendment) Bill which proposes CORD and Jubilee Coalitions nominate four people to the IEBC Selection Panel/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 13 – Two National Assembly committees handling legislation on the proposed Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission reforms are Tuesday expected to meet with the House leaders led by the Majority and Minority Coalition chiefs.

The leaders, their deputies and coalition whips are expected to give their views to the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee and Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee on the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill that provides for an extension of the period given to the Supreme Court to determine presidential petitions from 14 to 30 days.

The other legislation under scrutiny is the IEBC (Amendment) Bill which proposes CORD and Jubilee Coalitions nominate four people to the IEBC Selection Panel.

The Public Service Commission will select the remaining three independent nominees to form a seven-member Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Selection Panel that will hire the electoral agency commissioners.

Meanwhile, the two House committees comprising 31 members each have released an 11-day schedule indicating they will kick off their public hearing on the two legislations from July 4 in Lamu and hold their final sitting in Nairobi on July 15.

According to the schedule, the House teams will visit Lamu, Tana River, Kilifi, Kwale, Mombasa, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Isiolo, Turkana, West Pokot, Trans Nzoia, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Uasin-Gishu, Baringo, Nakuru, Kericho, Nandi, Bomet, Narok, Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii, and Nyamira counties between July 4 and July 8.

The second segment of hearings will be held in Taita-Taveta, Makueni, Machakos, Kajiado, Kitui, Embu, Tharaka-Nithi, Meru, Samburu, Laikipia, Kiambu, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Nyandarua, Vihiga, Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia and Nairobi Counties between July 11 and July 15.

The house teams have been divided into 10 groups to visit all the 47 counties to get voters’ views on what should be done to the embattled IEBC.

The IEBC (Amendment) Bill proposes that the panel to pick commissioners should consist of seven members, two each nominated by the Majority and Minority Parties or Coalitions and the rest from political parties not represented in Parliament such as trade unions, employers, Non-Governmental Organisations and Public Benefit Organisations.

MPs concurred that the process of nominating commissioners should be done purely through a parliamentary process just like they did when nominating the chairman and commissioners of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).

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