MPs seek change in law to allow nomination of presidential poll losers to Parliament
KENYA
By Wilfred Ayaga | June 15th 2016
Two House teams want electoral laws amended to allow political parties to nominate Presidential election losers into Parliament.
The Justice and Legal Affairs committee and the Constitutional Oversight Implementation Committee want changes allowing political parties to present their nomination lists to the electoral commission after a general election. This effectively provides a blank cheque for losing candidates to nominate themselves to the August House.
"We are publishing the amendment and it will be ready by Thursday (tomorrow). There is nothing wrong with having losing presidential candidates in the nomination list. We need to be practical in terms of the society that we live in," said Justice and Legal Affairs committee Chairman Samuel Chepkonga (pictured).
The changes will be made to the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, 2016, currently before the House.
The proposal came in the wake of demands by the Opposition that any compromise on the fate of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) must be hammered outside the House.
READ MORE
Parliament to reconvene once BBI report is ready
MPs want IEBC staff removed from MCK board
The IEBC crisis has been partly blamed on the fact that the current law requiring that nomination lists be forwarded to the electoral commission before the election locked CORD leader Raila Odinga, his co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka and Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi out of Parliament. Narc Kenya chairperson Martha Karua also remained in the cold.
"If CORD had been allowed to nominate people to the National Assembly and the Senate, it would have given an opportunity for those who lost the election to play a role in Parliament," said Chepkonga.
"Nothing bars losing (presidential) candidates from being on the nomination list," said Deputy Minority Leader Naomi Shaaban.
RELATED VIDEOS
Speaker Muturi says National Assembly will convene once a request is formally made
BBI Bill Debate: National Assembly to debate bill before Friday, public participation underway
BBI Journey: Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Amos Kimunya on what next for the BBI
CORD, Jubilee MPs locked up for four days over hate speech
The legislators had to endure forcible arrest, a three-hour detention in dark cells and a further detention of four days in remand after police asked for more time for investigations.I eagerly await my baby's first steps
Spina Bifida, and though rare in the general population, it is the most common neural tube defect in the worldMOST READ
- Mother of two pleads guilty of killing husband
NYANZA
- Mwananchi Credit goes after Waititu's vehicles
CENTRAL
- Prof Patricia Kameri: Having a woman CJ should not be problematic
NAIROBI
By Betty Njeru
- The fathers built River Road, their sons built Upper Hill
FINANCIAL STANDARD
- Mike Sonko: Son of strict mother who enjoyed being with people
NAIROBI
By Benard Sanga
