'Let the worst happen': NASA lawmakers to boycott election laws debates

A file photo of Suba South Member of Parliament and ODM national chairman John Mbadi. /JACK OWUOR
A file photo of Suba South Member of Parliament and ODM national chairman John Mbadi. /JACK OWUOR

NASA MPs and Senators will

boycott any parliamentary sitting to debate amendments to election laws.

They declared this on Tuesday following an urgent PG meeting at county hall where they unanimously resolved to de-whip members from any sitting.

Minority leader John Mbadi (ODM national chairman) said the Bill that will be debated in the afternoon is illegal.

The Suba South MP noted

the right procedure is for it to be introduced in one House and concluded before progress to the next one.

"This is why we have mediation committees to intervene where the two houses do not agree," he told journalists.

"It is for this reason that we have de-whiped all our members from the afternoon sitting and any other sitting discussing the matters. All the NASA principals will issue a comprehensive statement later in the day."

The principals are Raila Odinga (presidential candidate, ODM), Kalonzo Musyoka (DP candidate, Wiper), Musalia Mudavadi (Amani National Congress) and Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula (Ford Kenya).

They have opposed the amendments which are in their list of reasons for demonstrations every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Jubilee has dropped a clause that could have allowed non-lawyers to chair the electoral agency.

The select committee on amendments to election laws has also dropped a clause delegating some of the chairman's powers to the vice chair or other IEBC commissioners.

Also dropped, ahead of debate on Tuesday afternoon, was a clause that sought to reduce the quorum at the commission from five to three.

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Mbadi added that the joint committee's agreement on the Bill after the first reading is unconstitutional.

According to Order Papers in the National Assembly, the Bill will go to the Committee of the Whole House on Wednesday afternoon.

This means debate on the Bills in the Second Reading will happen on Tuesday afternoon and tomorrow morning.

Mbadi said:

"We ask the speakers in both houses to do the right thing. They should not tolerate the criminal activities being displayed by our jubilee counterparts."

The legislator said the speakers

can emulate a move by the 11th Parliament where, for two months, house committees did not met because the two Houses could not agree.

"Jubilee are riding on tyranny of numbers to pass bad laws. All players must be included in any democracy. They should not use autocracy and dictatorship to intimidate us," he said.

Mbadi's sentiments were echoed by Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr who said NASA will not help legitimise a flawed process.

"We have resolved not to be part of legitimising an illegal process. We want to demonstrate to all Kenyans that this is an illegitimate process being pushed by Jubilee," Mutula said.

"The process is illegal and can only produce illegal results.

With 15 days to an election we are not going to participate in, Jubilee is shifting goal posts and the person to ascend to the law is a candidate. Tunasema kiumane na liwe liwalo. Kama mbaya mbaya na noma noma (We are saying let the worst happen)," he said.

"This country belongs to us all...we shall not be bulldozed. We take neither our roles not matters of the law lightly. We are not going to allow [others to do so]."

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