Parliament to resume sittings tomorrow

Parliament during a past session. It resumes sitting on Tuesday. [File, Standard]

Elusive Gender Bill, budget process and push by President Uhuru Kenyatta to stop public servants from doing business top Parliament agenda as it resumes sittings tomorrow.

The two Houses have been on a two-month Christmas recess.

Attorney General Paul Kihara is expected to submit a draft Bill that, if made law, would outlaw public servants from doing business privately following directive by the President in his renewed war against corruption.

The MPs will also be scrutinising budget policy statement for the 2019/20 financial year.

Yesterday, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale said the House might consider taking the vote – which was deferred last year over quorum hitch – next week.

According to the House Order Paper, the MPs are set to approve members of the House Business Committee tomorrow afternoon. The members will later in the evening convene to set the date for the vote as well as plan other agenda for the House.

This, as NASA replaced Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba with nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi in the powerful committee chaired by Speaker Justin Muturi.

Homa Bay Woman Representative Gladys Wanga said they would continue lobbying for support so the Gender Bill gets backing of at least two-thirds of the House.

At the same time, National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee is seeking to provide legal framework for a referendum at the backdrop of the clamour to amend the Constitution.

Committee chairman William Cheptumo (Baringo North) yesterday said the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission had submitted to them a draft Bill on referendum.

Building Bridges Initiative, a task force by Uhuru and Opposition leader Raila Odinga, is going round the country to collect views of Kenyans on what they want changed in the Constitution.