House Speakers in war of words over crucial Bills
What you need to know:
- Mr Muturi has declined to refer several Bills to the Senate maintaining that only legislation touching on counties can be referred to the Senate for input.
- The Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro on the other hand, however, insists that the Bills concern counties.
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and his Senate counterpart Ekwee Ethuro have clashed over the role of the two Houses in tabling of Bills.
Mr Muturi has declined to refer several Bills to the Senate, maintaining that only legislation touching on counties can be referred to the Senate for input.
Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro, however, insists that the Bills concern counties.
IN CONTENTION
The Bills in contention include the Military Veterans Bill, the Parliamentary Society of Kenya Bill and the Value Added Tax Bill, which Mr Muturi said did not concern counties.
Other Bills that the Speaker declined to refer to counties include one on the benefits of the deputy president, business reforms, the fight against Aids and others.
According to a schedule obtained from the National Assembly, out of the 38 Bills that have come before the National Assembly since April last year, only four have been referred to the Senate after conclusion in the National Assembly.
They are the Public Procurement and Disposal Bill, the Statute law, the Fertilisers and Animal Foodstuffs Bill and the Division of Revenue Bill.
The latter saw the two Houses clash, and members had to hold talks to break the impasse.
The National Assembly has accused the Senate of violating the Constitution by publishing and considering several Bills that it should not.
TOUCHING ON MONEY
They include laws touching on money, which Mr Muturi argues should be confined to the National Assembly.
Some of the proposed legislation contested by the National Assembly include Bills on County Hall of Fame, natural resources, intergovernmental relations and the Office of the County Attorney-General.
Others are the Public Fundraising Appeals Bill, the County Industrial Development Bill and the National Government Coordination Bill and the County Retirement Scheme Bill.
Majority Leader Aden Duale claimed the Senate had ignored numerous pleas by the National Assembly not to originally table such Bills.
He claimed that the Senate had further been publishing and considering several Bills that do not concern county governments.
BROUGHT BACK
These include Bills on universities, parliamentary powers and privileges, political parties, the National Youth Service and the National Police Service.
He also mentioned Bills on parliamentary service, national honours and national flag, emblems and names.
The Senate has demanded a say in 30 laws in Parliament that have not been referred to the chamber by the National Assembly. They want the Bills referred to the Senate for their input.
On Tuesday, the chairman of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, Mr Samuel Chepkonga, said the Senate’s insistence that it should have a say on all Bills touching on counties was misleading.
