SENATE TO CONVENE FOR FIRST READING OF POLITICAL PARTIES AMENDMENT BILL ON TUESDAY
Written by RadioVuna on January 6, 2022
The Senate is expected to convene a special meeting next week on Tuesday, January 11 for the First Reading of the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill that was approved in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
This is according to Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka who says he has already received a request from the House leadership to host a special sitting that would be gazetted following a House Business Committee meeting on Friday
“Tomorrow (Friday) we will have a special House Business Committee meeting so that then we agree on the road map, but yes on Tuesday we will have a special reading to formally accept the measure in the house for the first reading,” Lusaka stated.
Majority Leader Samuel Poghisio said the bill would have to be referred to the Senate’s Justice, Legal and Human Rights Affairs committee chaired by Nyamira Senator Okong’o Omogeni for processing.
“We have to give the committee an opportunity to look at it, then present a report to the House and then now the other process will begin when we are ready for second reading, then a committee of the full House and then third reading, so that means maybe within two weeks we will be through,” Poghisio added.
Minority Whip Mutula Kilonzo Jnr who is a member of the JLAC committee said they would have to follow all the formalities including gathering comments from the public before preparing a report and putting it to the House.
“The committee and the House, in general, has very many attorneys, and we aim to do every step according to the Standing Orders, we will do everything including public involvement and enable all members to offer amendments,” Mutula added.
He said the bill is a special law and will be voted on by the 47 delegations in the Senate, meaning for every change to get through or the bill, 24 delegations must support it.
Mutula who classified the law as a basic bill questioned why it produced so much acrimony in the National Assembly and pledged nothing of the same would be observed in the senate.
“It’s sad that all we remember from the National Assembly are the fights, we won’t go that way, we could disagree but we can’t collapse into fighting. I have reviewed the text and there is nothing problematic about the measure,” Mutula remarked.
The law was approved on Monday following an emotional session in the National parliament that saw some members wounded, others ejected and even bribery charges.
