Counties, polls and court reforms top MPs’ agenda

President Kibaki will on Tuesday use a special address to Parliament to try and refocus a bickering political class on the reforms desperately needed before next year’s election.

The speech is expected to be a first of sorts: For the first time, it is written in collaboration with Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s office.

And it will not be a State opening of Parliament, though Mr Kibaki will speak from his chair as Head of State. This allows him to be heard without interruption.

Top among the priorities is a new law governing elections, which must be passed by August. The law is expected to remove loopholes that have allowed widespread rigging of elections, leading to political instability.

The Ministry of Justice has written the law, but it cannot forward it to the Attorney-General or the Committee on the Implementation of the Constitution because it is awaiting parliamentary input.

The departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs, which is supposed to work on the Bill, is currently embroiled in leadership wrangles.

“We have prepared a draft Bill, which we are yet to forward to the Attorney General. We have no problems in the ministry and if it is the delay, it is coming from elsewhere. We are on time,” Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo said.

Mr Kilonzo was enthusiastic about this session of Parliament and what it will achieve in terms of reforms.

“Tomorrow (Tuesday) is truly the beginning of reforms and the President will roll out his agenda of reforms for the year. It marks the real dawn of the new dispensation and we must all take part to ensure Kenyans enjoy the new fruits of reforms. MPs have a job to do and they must do it. There is no option,” he said.

Leader of Government Business Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka encouraged his parliamentary colleagues to pay attention to the reform agenda.

“The Tenth Parliament has a date with history and members will have to rise to the occasion,” he said in Embu.

Mr Jakoyo Midiwo, the Government Joint Chief Whip, said: “Members of Parliament have shown in the past that they are serious in implementing the Constitution. It is the government that has been failing to bring the Bills to the House.”

He was referring to the failure by the government to present reform Bills after MPs were recalled on January 19.

Others were concerned that unless the laws on elections are passed quickly, there will be a very short time for parties to nominate candidates and for a new register of voters to be drawn up.

“The fears I have are over areas of electoral reforms such as constituency boundaries, county boundaries and wards. It also involves how we will go about the election process and issues that guide them. If we stand divided, we will have a very short time for the next elections,” he said.

Also pending is the law creating the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission under the IEBC Bill.

Others are the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, the Supreme Court Bill and the Independent Offices Bill.

The Devolution Bill seeks to entrench County governments. The laws will guide election of the Speaker of County Assemblies, governors, and their removal from office, taxes to be levied and sharing of funds with the central government.

The Independent Offices Bill aims to provide the terms of appointment and service for the offices of the Controller of Budget and Auditor General.

These reform tasks will, however, be running against the tide of political warfare between the coalition, ODM and PNU, triggered by the impending trial by the International Criminal Court at the Hague of six Kenyans named as key suspects in the post-election violence.

PNU and ODM MPs allied to former Agriculture Minister William Ruto accuse Mr Odinga and his allies of influencing the list of suspects to eliminate other presidential candidates.

While President Kibaki and PNU side are pushing for the deferral of the cases, Mr Odinga and ODM want the Ocampo Six tried at The Hague.

Those summoned to the Hague are Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, and suspended minister Ruto, ODM chairman Henry Kosgey, radio presenter Joshua Sang, Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura and former Commissioner of Police Hussein Ali.

Nominated MP Millie Odhiambio said that although the bickering over ICC was a challenge to the enactment of crucial legislation, she was optimistic that the House would surmount the obstacles.