Nairobi
Tuesday, 11 June 2024
By Teddy Makori
In a critical move for Kenya’s legislative agenda, Senators will convene a special sitting on Tuesday at 2:30 pm, to deliberate on several important Bills currently pending before the House.
The session to be held in the Senate chambers at Parliament buildings, has been called by Speaker Amason Kingi through an official gazette notice.
One of the main items on today’s agenda is the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Amendment Bill, 2024 which proposes changes to the composition of the IEBC selection panel, setting the stage for the recruitment of new electoral agency commissioners.
The Bill, initially developed by the National Dialogue Committee , has already passed through the National Assembly, indicating a crucial step towards reforming Kenya’s electoral body.”
According to the standing order 35(5) of the Senate Standing Orders, the issues specified in this notice shall be the only issues before the Senate,” Speaker Kingi stated, emphasizing the focused nature of today’s session.
Another significant Bill up for discussion is the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, 2024.
This legislation seeks to distribute the Sh400 billion allocated to Kenya’s 47 counties, as outlined in the Division of Revenue Act.
President William Ruto recently signed into law the mediated version of the Division of Revenue Bill, 2024, which delineates the distribution of nationally generated revenues between the national and county governments.
In addition, Senators will deliberate on the County Governments Additional Allocation Bill.
This Bill aims to provide counties with substantial grants, further supporting their financial capabilities and development projects in various areas in the country.
Today’s parliamentary session is particularly notable as Senators are currently on a three-week break , set to officially resume on June 25.
The decision to hold this special sitting shows the urgency and importance of the matters at hand.