MPs to debate proposed law on elections ahead of 2017
Justice and Legal Affairs Committee chairman Samuel Chepkong’a. MPs are set to debate an elections Bill tabled in Parliament by the Ainabkoi MP Samuel Chepkonga ahead of the General Election in 2017. FILE PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
Bill provides ample time for the public to inspect the voters’ register — from 60 to 90 days.
Mr Chepkonga also proposes that MPs seeking office in 2017, be degree holders from recognised universities.
It proposes MCAs must hold diplomas to be elected.
A new Bill to streamline the handling of the 2017 elections, including the party primaries, has been tabled in Parliament and is expected to ensure orderly elections in future.
The Elections Laws (Amendment) Bill, by Ainabkoi MP Samuel Chepkonga, proposes that political parties nominate their candidates 90 days before elections, and resolve disputes arising from primaries within 40 days.
It also provides ample time for the public to inspect the voters’ register — from 60 to 90 days — to ensure all disputes regarding the voters’ rolls are resolved before elections.
The Bill also seeks to increase the number of days from 14 to 30, before the elections, in which the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is expected to publish a notice and transmit copies of the voters’ register to all the registration officers.
Other measures, include stopping the continuous registration of voters in case of a referendum and wants to strike out a provision for youth who have applied for national identity cards to register as voters before issuance of the actual documents.
Mr Chepkonga also proposes that MPs seeking office in 2017, be degree holders from recognised universities, members of county assemblies be diploma holders in 2017, and degree holders in subsequent polls, a requirement that has sparked controversy.
