Parliament to hold special sittings to debate BBI Bill
The National Assembly will hold a special sittings to debate the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020 tomorrow and on Thursday.
The parliament is set to, among other business, consider the Joint Report of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs and the Senate Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights on the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
Members of Parliament were yesterday notified by speaker Justin Muturi.
“Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 29(3) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly, it is notified for the information of the Members of National Assembly and the general public that Special Sittings of the Assembly shall be held on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 commencing at 10:00 am and 2:30 respectively and Thursday, April 29, 2021 commencing at 10:00 am and 2:30 respectively in the National Assembly Chamber,” read the notice.
Parliament will also receive a report on vetting of nominees for the chairperson and member of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
The House will also consider a public petition for the removal of Ms. Tabitha Mutemi from the membership of the Media Council of Kenya (MCK).
The special sittings for both National Assembly and Senate to table and discuss the report was halted following divisions of the joint committee.
The notification of the special sittings came barely hours after Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka received the report on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report from Senator Okong’o Omogeni, the Co-chairperson of the Senate and National Assembly Legal Affairs Committee.
The division emerged in both houses after the lawmakers noted that the schedule of the bill detailing how the proposed 70 constituencies would be distributed is illegal.
On Friday-last week, the joint committee confirmed that a record of 32 county assemblies debated a BBI Bill containing errors.
Speaking on Friday after week-long deliberation, the joint committee however downplayed the errors as minor and correctable.
