House sets rules for Eala members' elections

By Peter Opiyo

Parliament has formulated rules that would guide the elections of Kenya’s representative to the East Africa Legislative Assembly (Eala).

The Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations Chairman, Adan Keynan, tabled the rules that would be used to elect nine members that would sit in the Assembly in Parliament.

According to the rules, political parties will nominate members according to their strength in Parliament.

It means ODM, which has 99 MPs would take the lion’s share, followed by PNU, which has about 43 MPs. Sitting MPs will not be nominated.

In making nominations, the rules require political parties to take into account the need for fair representation of the various political parties in the National Assembly, regional balance, shades of opinion, gender and other special interest groups in Kenya and shall ensure that at least one third of its nominees are women.

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The nominees to the third Eala are set to be inaugurated on June 5, a day after the five-year term expiry of the current members.

In March, National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende asked MPs to adhere to East African Community treaty while nominating members to the Assembly.

The Speaker said it was necessary the rules were adhered to avoid court tussles that saw Kenyan nominees contested at the East African Court of Justice.

The Court case, Mr Marende said, would cost the taxpayer Sh350 million.