STEPHEN MUDIARI I Nation President Mwai Kibaki (centre), Prime Minister Raila Odinga (right) and Speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende leave after the opening of the Fourth Session of Parliament in Nairobi on March 22, 2011.
By NJERI RUGENE nrugene@ke.nationmedia.com AND ALPHONCE SHIUNDU ashiundu@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Tuesday, March 22 2011 at 22:00
Posted Tuesday, March 22 2011 at 22:00
In Summary
- Kibaki singles out the Judiciary and laws governing elections as priority legislation that Parliament must pass urgently in readiness for polls, which are “less than two years” away
President Kibaki on Tuesday welcomed MPs back to the House by reminding them of the pending workload.
They must pass 21 Bills in three months and the country is relying on them to establish institutions as required by the Constitution.
Mr Kibaki typically made no reference to the political rows of the moment over the prosecution of his close aides by the International Criminal Court, but struck an upbeat tone in a speech that laid out the heavy legislative load awaiting MPs.
He appeared to refer to the question of whether Kenya is capable of handling the prosecution of perpetrators of post-election violence when he spoke about the establishment of “credible institutions that can serve Kenya’s needs and deal with past injustices”.
“We have begun creating objective and independent institutions to ensure the fair application of the law. It is my hope that we shall play our role in ensuring that these institutions are fully operational,” he told MPs as they reconvened to continue with the Fourth Session.
The government wanted priority given to laws on the Judiciary so that the courts could resolve disputes on the interpretation of the Constitution, he said.
The President informed the House that 21 Bills and one Sessional Paper on cooperatives development have to be dealt with, adding that they had convened at a critical time in the country’s history.
“Our new Constitution has renewed our sense of nationhood and given us hope for a brighter future. Parliament has an opportunity to engrave itself in the annals of our national history. You are called upon to pass additional landmark legislation that is required to implement our new Constitution,” he said.
Although 10 of the Bills are crucial to the implementation of the Constitution, the President appealed to MPs to pass the laws that will guide the next elections, which according to him, “will be held in less than two years”.
There is some debate as to whether the election should be held in August or December of next year.
Proposed laws dealing with elections are the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission Bill and the Elections Bill, already drafted.
“These two Bills will safeguard free and fair elections and entrench our democratic system of governance. I call upon this august House to debate and pass the Bills within the next three months,” he said.
He made a passionate plea for the MPs to work with speed, noting that the next elections will be “more demanding” because of the many offices that will be contested.
“As we approach this important event, it is in the interest of all of us to ensure that the elections are conducted within a framework that guarantees the free and fair exercise of people’s choices,” he said.
A dispute at the last election led to violence in which hundreds were killed and many more displaced.
Regarding the politics of electoral boundaries, the President told MPs that there will be challenges, but they should ensure they unite around important issues for the sake of the country.
“We have the rare opportunity to participate in the enactment of new laws which are intended to transform our governance architecture and which will change our social, economic and political interactions,” he said.
The Head of State conceded that the country’s morals were at their lowest because Kenya has in the past been lax in giving priority to national values and principles, but was hopeful that the current laws provide for that.
The President painted a rosy picture of the economy, saying the growth was 5.4 per cent, while the Gross Domestic Product stood at Sh2.5 trillion in 2010. The GDP in 2002 was less than Sh1 trillion.
“This is an indication of increased economic activity in our nation,” he said.
He added that ‘significant’ progress had been made in infrastructure development, which, he said, had improved people’s lives and the business environment.
However, the President acknowledged that the optimism on the economic outlook faces ‘serious challenges’ like high fuel costs, increased inflation and depreciation of the Kenya shilling.
“Many parts of our country are also experiencing prolonged drought, food shortage as well as lack of pasture,” he said.
Mr Kibaki promised that those facing food shortages will be fed.
To woo investors and boost private investment, the President said the government had already published the Companies Bill, Limited Liability Partnership Bill and the Insolvency Bill, to help manage growth of companies.
MPs will debate the speech for the next four days, beginning today.
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