Cabinet hits deadlock over women’s seats Parliament
The Cabinet on Tuesday failed to agree on the formula of reserving a third of seats in the National Assembly for women.
But it agreed to meet for an unprecedented second time on Thursday to speed up pending Bills that must be enacted by August 27.
The meeting could not agree on whether to reserve some seats or designate specific constituencies for women in the next Parliament. Such a ratio must also apply to the Senate.
Sources at the meeting chaired by President Kibaki said the matter was too contentious, making it difficult to reach consensus on the Elections Bill. The Bill was referred to the Cabinet sub-committee on the implementation of the new Constitution for more discussions.
Three ministers who could not be named because they are bound by the confidentiality oath said they agreed to work overtime to clear the backlog.
Parliament has until August 26 to pass 17 Bills or risk dissolution.
“We felt that the Cabinet must work day and night... to approve any Bills which are ready. We were assured that some of these Bills will be ready by Thursday so it was resolved that we meet again that day to approve them instead of waiting until next week,” a minister said.
Another said they only approved three Bills as Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo was away and hoped to pass them on to him on Thursday.
Three-hour meeting
The three-hour meeting saw the Cabinet approve the Independent Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Bill, the Power of Mercy Bill and the Heroes Bill which are to be taken to Parliament for debate and enactment.
A dispatch from the Presidential Press Service (PPS) said: “The Cabinet today met at State House Nairobi under the chairmanship of President Kibaki and approved three Bills to be presented to Parliament.”
The Independent Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Bill creates a new agency that will take over the duties of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission with powers to investigate, prosecute and recover assets.
It will have a chairperson and six other members, a secretariat to be headed by a secretary who will be secretary to the commission.
The Power of Mercy Bill provides guidelines for a presidential parole. It establishes an advisory committee and proposes to give victims a say in determining whether the perpetrators of crimes against them ought to be freed.
The committee will comprise the AG, the Cabinet Secretary in charge of correctional services and five other members who will not hold any public office.
The Kenya Heroes Bill spells out how to recognise and select national heroes and categories to be honoured. It creates the National Heroes Council that will set criteria for honouring such heroes.
“Values to be considered include patriotism, integrity, vision, courage, enterprise, sacrifice and lasting national impact,” the statement said.
It also provides for the conduct of referenda besides providing mechanisms for election dispute resolution.
Pending Bills include Ratification of Treaties Bill, Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Bill, Kenya Citizens and Foreign Nationals Management Service Bill, and the Urban Areas and Cities Bill, Environment and Land Court Bill, and the Public Financial Management Bill.
Sources said the Public Financial Management Bill could be approved on Thursday by the Cabinet.
In addition to the Bills, the government is pressure to appoint a Controller of Budget, Auditor General, Inspector General of Police and a new AG to replace Mr Amos Wako by the end of next week.
On Tuesday, names of three short listed applicants for the Controller of Budget were handed over to the President and the Prime Minister, while the shortlist for Auditor General will be submitted on Thursday.
