Election players have until today to submit their views on the contentious Election Laws before the Senate Legal Affairs Committee tables its report for debate on Thursday.
The committee is racing against time to collect public views to fix controversial clauses that have sparked heated exchanges between Jubilee and Cord.
The National Assembly adopted far-reaching amendments to the Election Laws Amendment Bill ( 3 ), 2015, in an acrimonious session on December 22 marred by protests from Cord MPs.
The committee chaired by former Attorney General Amos Wako (Busia Senator) is expected to find a middle ground and table a unanimous report that could lower the tense political temperature witnessed in past days.
The team, which has been praised as a more sober approach in resolving the contentious issues, is seeking to rewrite the script and broker a deal that can guarantee a peaceful environment at the general election.
Cord has poured cold water on the sweeping clauses introduced by the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, saying they are a scheme to water down the Election Laws Amendment Bill, 2016 – a product of political negotiations with Jubilee.
Today, the committee will receive submissions from Attorney General Githu Muigai, the Council of Governors, the Coalition for Credible Polls 2017, the Media Owners Association, the Civil Society Reference Group and the Computer Society of Kenya.
Despite pressure from many quarters within Jubilee, the senators agreed to go through the motions of the law-making process.
Some of the pressure came from State House operatives, who said there is no time for public participation.
National Assembly members did not provide for public participation as the Constitution requires and there was a danger that if the Bill was passed, it could attract lawsuits.
Cord has suspended street protests earlier planned for tomorrow to give way for the Senate to rewrite the Bill with emphasis on public participation.
