THE constitutional amendment Bill that seeks to change the general election datefrom August to December will be published today.If passed by Parliament, the general election will be held every second Monday of December and not every second Tuesday of August every election year, as provided for in the constitution.The Bill, sponsored by Ugenya MP David Ochieng’, was approved by the National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs committee in August and forwarded to theAttorney General for onward transmission to the government printer.The publication potentially opens up legalbattles, in the face of a High Court ruling that the next elections be held as per the constitution.Committee chairman Samuel Chepkonga (Ainabkoi) said that the Bill should be fast tracked, though there are counter-arguments that it will extend the term of the current Parliament.But Ochieng’ clarified that the Bill will not extend the term of the President and the current Parliament and will therefore not occasion additional expenditure by the taxpayer.“This Bill is good. The committee will ensure that, after the maturity period, it is prioritised for consideration in the House,” Chepkonga said yesterday.“The amendment Bill does not seek to increase the term of MPs and other elected leaders, including the President. Ifanything, if it is extended to December of 2017, it will be less than five years of service, as the constitution proclaims thatelections shall be held every five years,” Ochieng’ said.The last elections were held in March 2013.House rules require that constitutional Bills take 90 days to mature before they are debated.Ochieng’ argues that the agreed new dateis ideal because it will not interfere with the schools and examination calendars, the budget-making process and will not affect voter turnout, compared to the August date.The crucial budgeting process will also beaffected if the August date remains in place, as it will require the dissolution of Parliament three months before the general election, in which case there will be no Parliament to approve government expenditures in June.The dissolution of Parliament in May will effectively mean the beginning of the campaign period that is bound to affect the preparations for national exams and further complicate matters in the event of a rerun.The MP says that the new date also gives room for the appointment of new electoralcommissioners, as the term of the currentofficials ends in November 2017.“The Bill will take care of the casual labourers in industrial areas who may not have the luxury to travel home in August to vote and come back, and also, in August, in areas like Turkana, pastoralists may not vote as they will have gone to look for grass and water for their animals,”
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 04:49:33 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015