IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati (pictured) said the Bill will now be submitted to the 47 County Assemblies within three months/CFM – FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 18 – Thirdway Alliance’s push for a constitutional referendum popularly known as Punguza Mizigo received a major boost on Thursday after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said it had been verified signatures of over 1.2 million registered voters.
IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati said the Bill will now be submitted to the 47 County Assemblies within three months.
“The Commission has since verified that the Initiative has been supported by 1.22.541 registered voters. This is therefore to notify the public and all stakeholders that the initiative has met the requisite threshold as required by the said Article 257 (4) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010,” said the Chebukati.
If at least 24 county assemblies approve the Bill within three months, the stage will be set for the National Assembly and the Senate to either approve or reject it.
The Bill will be ready for the Presidential Assent if it gets the backing of the majority of the members of the two Houses.
It will not, however, be submitted to the people for a referendum should it fail to get Parliament’s approval.
The Bill which is sponsored Thirdway Alliance party leader Ekuru Aukot proposes an increase to county revenue share allocation from the current 15 per cent to at least 35 per cent.
The Bill which is sponsored Thirdway Alliance party leader Ekuru Aukot (pictured) proposes an increase to county revenue share allocation from the current 15 per cent to at least 35 per cent/ CFM – FILE
The initiative is also seeking to use each of the 1,450 wards as the primary unit of accelerated development, replacing the National Government-Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF).
The Punguza Mzigo Initiative also seeks to slash the number of MPs from the current 416 to 147, as well as alter the President’s term from the current two five-year terms to a single seven-year term.
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