BY NIKKO TANUI
The East Africa Law Society (EALS) has termed parts of the controversial Marriage Bill 2013 as impractical and appealed to legislators not to rush into passing it into law.
Speaking after officially opening a continuous legal training seminar for lawyers in Kericho County, EALS President James Aggrey Mwamu said the drafters of the Bill had left a lot to be desired.
“The Bill looks quite attractive and many family lawyers have spoken about it. But we are an African society and we must not rush into things head-on just because some ideas have come from outside the country,” he warned.
Mr Mwamu, who is also a member of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Management Committee, urged Kenyan lawyers to speak up on the Bill in order to lead the country in the right direction.
“We are calling on lawyers to scrutinise Marriage Bill 2013, and advise Parliament on the best steps to be taken,” he said.
At the same time, Mr Mwamu challenged players in the legal sector to compel Members of Parliament to pass the Election Campaign Finance Bill, which has since been taken through its first reading at the National Assembly.
The EALS boss claimed MPs were against the Bill largely because many of them do not want to lay bare the source of the funds they use during campaigns.
Mr Mwamu said if the law compels politicians to disclose the sources of their finances the country would not lose some good candidates who are unable to get funds for their campaigns.
“We are urging Members of Parliament not to frustrate the Bill as it is for the good of everybody,” he said.
