Teams set date for county Bills

All Bills on devolution will be published by January 20, the Constitution Implementation Oversight Committee has said.

CIOC chairman Abdikadir Mohammed, who was on Wednesday chairing a meeting at a Naivasha hotel attended by Attorney-General Githu Muigai and Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) chairman Charles Nyachae, assured Kenyans that they would also meet the deadlines for other Bills.

The Bills include Finance, Planning and Trade, which were to be discussed on Wednesday afternoon.

The Bills on Land were discussed in the morning.

Mr Abdikadir said all the Bills would be published by February 26.

“When the Bills are brought before the House when it resumes there will be few consultations,” he said.

During the meeting, which ends on Thursday, Prof Muigai and Mr Nyachae downplayed their differences and said it was mandatory for them to work together for the sake of implementation of the Constitution.

The two recently disagreed over the enactment of the new laws.

Mr Nyachae had accused Prof Muigai of being an impediment to the Constitution implementation, claims the latter denied.

On Wednesday’s meeting had been convened to discuss impending Bills and to resolve the differences between Prof Muigai and Mr Nyachae.

Mr Abdikadir stressed the need to work together as organs mandated to achieve implementation of the new law but did not address the differences between the AG and CIC chairman.

‘There is no crisis’

“We have improved our resolve to work together,” Prof Muigai told journalists during the lunch break.

And during the opening ceremony, the AG told the meeting that the Constitution implementation process was in progress and assured them that there was no crisis.

“There has not been crisis of any nature as far as the State Law Office is concerned,” he told the meeting, also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Lands minister James Orengo.

Most of the CIOC members were present.

Prof Muigai denied that there were personal differences between him and Mr Nyachae. (READ: AG accuses Nyachae of disrespect)

The CIC chairperson on his part said they have to work in harmony with Prof Muigai and other players to ensure full implementation of the new laws.

“It is not possible for one organ to deliver without the other,” he said.

Mr Nyachae also said there had never been any personal differences between him and the AG and asked the media to stop demonising their public debates.