Draft: Process may be cut

• Sh404.66 million has been spent on the process against a total budget of Sh1.48 billion.

He indicated that MPs may be required to reconvene from their Christmas break in February, earlier than a traditional March date so as to receive the draft from the PSC.

“The House should bear this in mind when going to recess to prepare to receive this draft,” he said.

The National Assembly would then discuss the revised draft between February 25 and March 27 before referring it to the committee, the Reference Group and the PSC.

The period for publishing the draft by the AG could also be reduced, according to the minister from 20 days to seven days.

A statement had been demanded from the minister by Garsen MP Danson Mungatana who is the convener of the parliamentary reform caucus group.

The member asked the minister to take the country through the stages of the remaining part of the exercise as well as the process of distributing the draft copies.

Mr Kilonzo restated his preference for special referendum law to insulate the exercise from legal attacks saying it was a matter of abundant caution.

“It is necessary to prevent those who may want to attempt to forestall the process on a legal front,” he said. “I find no reason why we cannot enact one,” he stated.

Some 4 million copies are expected to be released for distribution Friday, among them Swahili version, electronic and Braille copies.

Copies will also be disseminated through civil society networks.

The House heard that at least 4 million Kenyans may have accessed the soft copy of the draft online. The minister said the CoE website registered 4.7 visits on November 17 when the draft was released causing a heavy traffic jam that clogged the system.

“The website witnessed the highest traffic ever and by midday it was completely inaccesible showing how the draft had been highly anticipated,” he said.