Justin Muturi has dismissed as, "ignorance" the clamour against proposed tough campaign financing regulations by the electoral body.
The National Assembly Speaker
urged politicians opposing the far-reaching regulations to familiarise themselves with the mandate of the IEBC
within the purview of elections management.
He noted the commission is mandated with formulating regulations for campaigns ahead of a general election.
"We must not plead ignorance of House procedures. Let us wait for the IEBC to bring the regulations before Parliament," he said.
He spoke at
Pride Inn Hotel in Shanzu, Mombasa, on Friday during a two-day retreat for the Kenya Parliamentary Journalists Association (KPJA) and the National Assembly.
Muturi asked those opposing the regulations in the media to wait until they are tabled in parliament to express themselves.
The Speaker decried the tendency by some legislators to skip house sittings when critical decisions, including adoption of far reaching amendments,
are being made.
"Some who are extremely vocal in the media, looking for political bonga points upfront, are nowhere in the house. That is when you witness what is almost an exodus from the House," he said.
He asked the media to be vigilant and watchful, and keep Kenyans informed on MPs who let the country down at hours of need.
Several politicians have questioned the campaign regulations saying it is not IEBC's mandate. Others questioned the criteria used to set the spending limits.
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But the commission assured the country that the proposed regulations to limit campaign spending will be .
Muturi also noted that measures to achieve credible polls that satisfy the public, party affiliations notwithstanding, were rolled out and gathering momentum.
He noted Parliament formed a joint select committee on
electoral
reforms after the opposition agitated for a purge of the top cadre of the IEBC.
"Although the commissioners offered to willingly leave office with some conditions, we await House resolutions after consideration of the committee’s report," he said.
President Uhruu Kenyatta received the report last week and urged the expeditious hiring of commissioners.
Muturi said stakeholders were edging the country, stride by stride, towards true democracy, and that they were keeping an eye on the future.
He urged reporters to understand the budget process and how fiscal policy fits into an economy's context.
Majority leader Aden Duale said the role of journalists is critical and that they should ensure they inform the masses on critical bills presented in the House.
He said parliamentary reporters should have broad knowledge of rules, procedures and mandates of the Houses they cover, and be able to articulate them in their news stories.