•Among the proposals in the bill is for IEBC to give priority to manual results relayed by returning officers and to provide for complimentary identification of voters.
•The IEBC-backed bill seeks to block nomination losers from vying as independents and do away with live transmission of results.
Debate on election laws and campaign financing rules will top the agenda of the National Assembly besides the budget as members resume sittings on Tuesday afternoon.
The lawmakers return to the House to conclude debate on the Elections (Amendment) Bill No41, 2021, which seeks to bar political parties from nominating MCAs from outside the respective county.
Also queued is the debate on the Elections (Amendment) Bill No3, 2022 which seeks to streamline the management of the August 9 elections.
Among the proposals in the bill is for the IEBC to give priority to manual results relayed by returning officers and to provide for complimentary identification of voters.
The IEBC-backed bill seeks to block nomination losers from vying as independents and do away with live transmission of results.
Also tied to the polls is a bill providing for a regulatory framework for the management of campaign cash by the various political aspirants.
The Election Campaign Financing (Amendment) Bill, 2021 — due for second reading — seeks to do away with scrutiny of campaign spending by political parties and candidates.
It seeks to repeal the law compelling parties to form expenditure committees and also seeks to free the accounts from the scrutiny of the auditor general.
The bill seeks to make it simple that parties and candidates simply disclose the amount and source of contribution received for the campaign.
“A candidate, political party and a referendum committee shall disclose the amount and source of contributions received for the campaign for a nomination, an election or a referendum, as the case may be,” the bill reads.
Also lined up by the House Business Committee is the debate on the second reading of the Huduma Bill, 2021 which seeks to anchor the National Identity Information Management System– popularly known as Huduma Namba.
Lawmakers have prioritised debate on the Children Bill, 2021, which aligns matters concerning the management of children's affairs with the new Constitution.
The bill introduces new measures towards a better life for children, responds to legal gaps on adoption, and recognises intersex children among provisions towards fulfilling the rights of children.
Also queued is the debate on the bill to amend the Public Finance Management Act, 2012 to provide that state agencies submit financial statements with the Auditor General a month after the end of the financial year.
The aim is to give the auditor general six months to audit the financial statements as required by the law.
MPs are resuming amid worries of quorum hitches that have affected the recent sittings, where the House was forced to adjourn several times for lack of the requisite numbers.
This would be the second last part of the current session before the Sine Die Recess –a period when the House is adjourned and the date to reconvene not specified.
The Budget reading is also slated for April 7, which would be the last sitting day before MPs embark on a month-long recess.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris