MPs vote to retain August 2017 General Election date
The National Assembly in session. The Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) has accused MPs of abusing their law-making powers to pass and publish Bills without involving other stakeholders. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Kenyans can expect to head to the 2017 elections in August as contemplated in the Constitution.
This is after MPs rejected a Bill that would have changed the date to December.
Though MPs had passed another constitutional amendment Bill to transfer the Equalisation Fund from the counties to the constituencies — by garnering the required two-thirds majority — the numbers fell moments later, defeating the second Bill.
MPs from marginalised regions celebrated, as the billions of shillings in the Equalisation Fund will now be handled by them.
The MPs will now have a say on which projects will get priority, away from the governors.
ELECTION DATE
However, the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill No. 01 of 2015 to change the election date suffered a blow.
The Bill, sponsored by Ugenya MP David Ochieng, failed to meet the required two-thirds.
It managed 216 votes, 17 short of the required majority, with 24 voting against it and four abstaining.
The Bill on the transfer of the Equalisation Fund, which was set aside in the Constitution to benefit marginalised counties, was sponsored by Samburu West MP Lati Lelelit.
A total of 246 MPs voted for the Bill and only two voted against it, leading to passage of the Bill, well above the 233 majority required.
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi said the Bill, which would lead to the first amendment of the Constitution voted for by Kenyans in 2010, now goes to the Senate for consideration.
