Bickering in House team stalls political parties registrar vetting

The vetting of nominees to a panel that will recruit a new Registrar of Political Parties is still pending before a Parliamentary committee.

Deputy Leader of Government Business Amos Kimunya said on Tuesday the Justice and Legal Affairs committee is riddled with political complexities that have resulted in a stalemate.

“The issue is complex; every time we think we have resolved it, something new always comes up,” he said.

Parliament is required to consider the names and to either approve or reject them after vetting by the committee.

Under Section 35(1) of the Political Parties Act, the committee should have appointed the registrar 14 days from November 1, 2011 when the Act came into effect.

On November 15, Speaker Kenneth Marende asked the House Business Committee to allocate time for the disposal of two motions aimed at reviving the beleaguered committee.

He urged HBC to allocate time for the motions on Wednesday morning.

Githunguri MP Njoroge Baiya raised the matter, questioning the HBC’s commitment to bringing it to an end.

Mr Kimunya said the HBC will soon decisively conclude the matter.

“I can authoritatively tell the House that the matter will be resolved,” he said, promising progress in a week’s time.

Parties have already submitted nominees to Parliament and the Speaker forwarded the names to the committee for vetting last Tuesday.

Mr Marende said due to a delay in the selection process, it may not be feasible to meet the deadline while observing the approval processes.

The appointment of the Registrar of Political Parties will be made by the President in consultation with the Prime Minister after approval by the National Assembly.

The Act provides that two of the members of the selection panel shall be nominated by the political parties represented in the National Assembly.

MPs are not eligible to serve in the selection panel.