•IEBC, the office of the registrar of political parties, the judiciary committee on elections, political parties’ tribunal and the Attorney General will give their views on Friday afternoon.
•On Thursday, the Council of Governors, County Assemblies Forum, Center for Multiparty democracy and political parties liaison committee will appear before the panel.
Image: FILE
IEBC boss Wafula Chebukati and registrar of political parties Ann Nderitu are among the 23 heads of state and non-state institutions expected to appear before a Senate team as the public hearing on the coalition bill begins.
They will give their views on the controversial Political Party (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the two-day public participation forum convened by the Senate’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee.
Last week, the panel chaired by Nyamira Senator Okong’o Omogeni invited the public to submit their written memoranda on the Bill ahead of the open hearings.
“We want to have qualitative, wide and meaningful public participation. We don’t want accusations that we legislated without allowing the public to have an input in the process,” Omogeni said.
The Bill, which seeks to create a coalition political party, was introduced in the Senate last week after it was passed in a chaotic sitting in the National Assembly a fortnight ago.
Allies of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga clashed with those of Deputy President William Ruto who put up a spirited fight to defeat the Bill.
The Bill seeks to anchor Raila’s Azimio La Umoja Movement as a political party—the vehicle he intends to use for his State House bid.
As the committee conducts the public participation, the factions are already sending signals of a showdown with the DP’s troops vowing to amend the Bill while their counterparts insist they pass it as it is.
According to the programme for the two-day event, the IEBC, the office of the registrar of political parties, the Judiciary committee on elections, political parties’ tribunal and the Attorney General will give their views on Friday afternoon.
Clauses enhancing the powers of the registrar in the Bill is among the contentious provisions that sparked bitter exchanges and fistfights in the National Assembly.
The Bill gives the registrar powers to among others solve nomination disputes and certify party lists for the nomination of members into either Senate, National Assembly or County Assembly before parties submit them to the IEBC.
“A political party intending to submit a party list to the IEBC shall, at least 14 days before the submission to the commission, submit the party list to the registrar for certification,” the proposed law reads.
On Thursday, the Council of Governors, County Assemblies Forum, Center for Multiparty democracy and political parties liaison committee will appear before the panel.
Other organisations expected to give their views on the Bill on Thursday are the National Youth Council, Cotu, consortium of disabled persons and Federation of women lawyers.
Others are the election observation group, Maendeleo ya Wanawake and civil society parliamentary engagement.
Among those that will appear on Friday are Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, National Gender and Equality Commission, Katiba Institute and Kenya Law Reform Commission.
The nine-member committee will retreat soon after the public hearing on Friday to discuss the submission and file a report for tabling in the House on Tuesday.
The senators are expected to debate the report, introduce amendments to the Bill, if any, and take a vote by Thursday next week. From there, the final product will be sent to the President for assent.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris