MPs notified of special sitting next week

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has notified MPs and the general public of a special sitting of the House on December 29.

The sittings will be held in the National Assembly Chamber, Main Parliament Buildings, starting at 10am and at 2.30pm for the afternoon sittings.

The purposes of the sittings include the conveyance of any messages from the President, the National Executive, and or the Senate.

Muturi said other purposes are the tabling of an Addendum Report by the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs on the harmonisation of proposed amendments to the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill if any.

Further, there will be tabling of any other papers with statutory timelines and consideration in the Committee of the Whole House and Third Reading of the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill.

Muturi also listed the second reading, Committee of the Whole House, and Third Reading of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal.

"If the need arises, the House may hold evening sitting on the prescribed date, for purposes of concluding any business scheduled for consideration."

This comes as the much-anticipated debate on the Political Parties Amendment Bill failed to take off yesterday after National Assembly Deputy Speaker Moses Cheboi pulled the plug on it in a controversial decision that left all sides guessing as to what was the end game of the ruling.

MPs appeared set to proceed with the movers already walloping the opposing side 113 to 68 in a vote earlier on the second day of the special sitting of the National Assembly.

That was until Cheboi called off the afternoon sitting that could have seen the MPs vote on the Bill to allow the inclusion of new amendments for debate.

He told members that there were way too many amendments that required harmonisation before a vote could be taken. He also claimed to have consulted widely before making the decision, which attracted protests from minority leader John Mbadi.

The new amendments were proposed by MPs Otiende Amollo (Rarieda), Ayub Savula (Lugari), Kimani Ichungwa (Kikuyu), Caleb Kositany (Soy), John Kiarie (Dagoretti South), Alice Wahome (Kandara), Aden Duale (Garissa), Geoffrey Osotsi (Nominated), Owen Baya (Kilifi North) and Didmus Barasa (Kimilili).

Barasa had proposed to reduce the period to form a coalition from six months to at least two months before a general election while Duale sought 90 days.

The Bill sponsored by Majority Leader Amos Kimunya provides for a deadline of six months to form a coalition before an election.