The Tana River county assembly has been ordered to involve wananchi in lawmaking. The county has been accused of passing bills without residents’ input, a constitutional requirement.
Justice Njoki Mwangi at the High Court in Mombasa directed the assembly not to hold public hearings as scheduled in a notice placed in the Daily Nation.
She made the ruling in a case filed by Ibrahim Wayu, who sought orders restraining the county from tabling the Animal Control Bill, 2016 pending hearing and determination of the suit.
He said the notice in the Daily Nation did not give adequate time for residents to acquire copies of the bills lined up for debate. They include the Bursary Administration Bill and Water Sanitation Services Bill.
Wayu, in his affidavit, said none of the draft bills had been circulated to the public. “Security being the main concern and conflict between the Pokomo and the Orma in Tana River county, the Pokomos have not been given enough time to attend the hearings of the bill,” he said.
Wayu was also concerned that the county had used an English language newspaper to pass its message, yet the people have low literacy levels and have no access to the internet to get the information.
