Jubilee and Cord headed for clash on security law

Parliament could be the scene of heated debate Thursday after agreed changes to the controversial Bill on security were left out of a copy of the Order Paper given to the Press last evening.

Committees handling the amendments emerged from a day-long meeting earlier saying they had reached a compromise on parts of the Bill considered unconstitutional.

But a copy of the Order Paper, which lists down the business of the day, seen by the Nation last evening suggests that the agreed amendments had been left out.

Ominously, Cord MPs on the National Security, Defence and Justice committees had avoided a briefing by the chairmen and Majority Leader Aden Duale after the meeting.

After their Parliamentary Group meeting, Senate Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula said Cord MPs had been instructed to reject the Bill and the amendments altogether.
In Homa Bay Mr Odinga asked Parliament to reject the proposed security laws calling them a plot by the Jubilee Government to restore detention without trial.

BLANKET PUNISHMENT

Committee members had agreed on changes that would have softened some of the proposals viewed as infringing on civil liberties guaranteed in the Constitution.
But on the Order Paper, the amendments to be moved by Mr Duale create a blanket punishment for all who publish or broadcast “insulting, threatening or inciting material” without a definition of what that would be.

Also, the provisions to have the media seek the permission of the police to publish images from terror attacks have been left intact.
However, some of the compromises include reversal of proposals to allow State spies to arrest and detain suspects for one year and giving the government the power to expressly revoke identity cards.

National Intelligence Service officers will now be required to only arrest terror suspects and to immediately hand them over to the police.

The proposal to give the Interior Cabinet Secretary the power to decide where and when demonstrations can be held was reported to have been deleted.

Also set for removal when the Bill goes through the Third Reading today is the provision requiring all police stations to keep records of all the guests at hotels and other establishments within their jurisdiction.

The bi-partisan committee meeting drew members from both Jubilee and Cord.
After members had finished briefing the media on their deliberations Jubilee and Cord members from the committees briefed their members.

It was after this that Cord MPs emerged to declare that they would still oppose the laws and instead called for talks on how to tackle insecurity.

Mr Odinga Wednesday rallied party MPs to oppose the proposed laws to be discussed and voted on today while a section of party politicians led by ODM national chairman John Mbadi called for mass action if the security Bill is passed.

DRAG KENYA BACK

“Whatever the young men (President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto) want to do is to drag Kenya back to the dark old days which all Kenyans must reject” said the ODM party leader.
A former political detainee himself, Mr Odinga said the proposed laws would empower police to make arbitrary arrests and could be used to persecute political opponents.

The former Prime Minister was speaking in Homa Bay during the launch of Homa Bay County Women Sacco, accompanied by Solicitor-General Njee Muturi, who was reported to have agreed to drop several clauses seen as unconstitutional and agreed to improve others deemed too harsh, too vague or draconian.

Mr Wetang’ula instructed Cord MPs to reject the Bill and the amendments altogether.
“We oppose the Bill in totality including the title. The amendments proposed are just sugar-coated to sanitise the Bill,” said Mr Wetang’ula after a closed-door Cord Parliamentary Group meeting at County Hall .

He said that the coalition had instructed its MPs to oppose the Bill on the floor of the House without any fear because they were convinced that the government was using the terrorist attacks in the country to introduce a bad law to Kenyans.

“We have given firm instructions to our Cord MPs to oppose each and every clause on the floor of the House. We have other decisions which remain our secret weapon for tomorrow (Thursday),” Mr Wetang’ula said.