Senate to debate contentious amendments to election law

The Senate will on Wednesday debate the contentious amendments to the election law.

Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro called Wednesday’s special sitting a week after the chaotic session in which opposition MPs walked out as their Jubilee colleagues passed the amendments.

In his notice, Mr Ethuro said that the senators will discuss 11 other matters apart from the election law in the session that will start at 10 am.

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki, who will move the amendments in the House, said that though divisive, he does not expect the debate to degenerate into chaos.

“We expect very heated discussions on Wednesday but I do not foresee cases of illegal activities like members engaging in fist fights,” Prof Kindiki told the Nation.

The Senate has set itself as the “sober” House able to sit down and come to an understanding easily, compared to the National Assembly which has seen fist fights, name-calling and unparliamentary behaviour during heated discussions. “When the discussion on the exit of the electoral commissioners became violent, it is two senators who provided leadership. We will do the same on Wednesday,” added the senator.

Prof Kindiki was referring to the 14-member bipartisan joint select committee co-chaired by senators Kiraitu Murungi (Meru) and his Siaya counterpart James Orengo that came up with the now disputed law.

On Monday, Mr Orengo said that the law should not have stepped foot in the National Assembly, but added that “there will be sense and sensibility” in the Senate. “The way this law has been piloted through the National Assembly is an abuse of power and an unconstitutional process,” he said. Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar (Wiper) has rooted for the Bill to fail in the House to allow the formation of a mediation committee.