New security Bill seeks to control public gatherings

What you need to know:

  • Most of these clauses were dropped when the controversial Security Laws Act was passed last year.
  • Other laws targeted for amendment are the Traffic Act and the National Police Service Act.

The Cabinet secretary in charge of security will decide where all public meetings and gatherings will be held, if proposed security laws before the Senate are passed.

It will also be mandatory for all landlords to keep records of their tenants and present the list to the nearest police station. Hotel owners will also be required to keep an updated record of their occupants.

Additionally, if the Bill becomes law, motor vehicle dealers will be required to keep a monthly record of all the vehicles sold and those in stock.

The record will be submitted to the National Police Service and the Kenya Revenue Authority at the end of each month.

These are some of the clauses contained in The Security Laws (amendment) Bill, 2015, now set for First Reading in the Senate.

Most of these clauses were dropped when the controversial Security Laws Act was passed last year.

The new Bill aims at beefing up the existing Act with the clauses that were left out at the last minute by Parliament during the chaotic House session last December.

The proposed law aims at amending six Acts of Parliament including the Public Order Act, the Radiation Protection Act, the Rent Restrictions Act and Kenya Airports Authority Act.

Other laws targeted for amendment are the Traffic Act and the National Police Service Act.

The Bill primarily seeks to amend various Acts that are related to the preservation of safety and security. “In particular, the Bill proposes to amend the Public Order Act to provide for the designation, by the Cabinet secretary responsible for security, of places where public meetings and gatherings shall not be held,” says the proposed law.

The Bill, published on September 18, is sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki, who asked citizens to be ready with their views during public scrutiny.