Justice Minister pledges key Bills in a week

By Antony Gitonga

Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo has promised all Bills required before promulgation of the new constitution in one week.

Mutula acknowledged challenges facing implementation of the new order as being political, social, financial and resource constraints.

He said limited capacity of institutions charged with implementing the new document was huge.

But he remained upbeat, adding his ministry was ready to handle the challenges before the new law is ratified. The minister spoke at Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha during a workshop by staff from his ministry on implementation of the new Constitution.

He admitted it would be a major task to establish a commission to implement the new laws within 90 days. "Most of you are wondering how we shall reconstitute the Judicial Service Commission within 60 days, establish a supreme court and appoint judges within 12 months," he said.

He urged his staff to identify and prioritise the legislations that need to be enacted to effect provisions of the new Constitution.

Talking to journalists after the closed-door meeting, Mutula said there was need to fast track some legislations, especially the formation of the Judicial Service Commission.

"Five members of the Judicial Service Commission must be serving judges and they must be vetted," he said.