Parliament in a frenzy to beat constitutional deadline

Written By:Lilian Mwendo,    Posted: Tue, Aug 23, 2011

The HBC proposes to extend sittings beginning Tuesday afternoon until scheduled business for the day is concluded Parliament will be sitting extra time this week to beat Friday's deadline of passing key constitutional bills if MPs approve a resolution by Parliament's House Business Committee (HBC). The crucial committee proposes to extend sittings beginning Tuesday afternoon until scheduled business for the day is concluded. It also proposes an additional day of sitting this Friday to dispense with the urgent constitutional bills. As parliament reconvenes, the HBC will be bringing into the house a motion seeking to have parliament sit extra time in order to beat this Friday's deadline of passing the key constitutional bills to fulfill constitution timelines on key bills. The committee proposes that Parliament only adjourns any of its sittings this week after concluding the business scheduled for the day on the order paper. This may see Parliament extend it sittings into midnight or past midnight depending on the pace of debate and matters at hand. Business will take precedent over ministerial statements and question time to allow Parliament legislate on the remaining 18 key bills. Cabinet has in the past week held special sessions that saw it sit over the weekend to approve 4 bills. Traditionally Parliament does not sit on Thursday morning and Friday but with the constitution timelines beckoning on key bills this is the only way to beat the deadline to avert a constitutional crisis. The government will also be seeking Parliament's endorsement to fast track debate on the bills by reducing their publication period from the normal 14 days to allow debate. According to the HBC, if Parliament approves the motions then it will be possible for the house to pass all the 17 bills that are supposed to be passed by this Friday as the country awaits to celebrate the constitutions first anniversary this Saturday. The CIC has requested extension of the timeline given to Public Finance Management Bill to allow extensive consultation following a stalemate by key players. Some of the pending bills include the Contingencies Fund Bill and Loans Guarantees Bill which are slated for debate Tuesday. Others are the Political Parties Bill currently in the committee stage which was shelved last week to await a ruling by the house speaker on the constitutionality of some of amendments adopted by Parliament last week. There is also the Elections Bill, Urban Areas and Cities Bill, Employment and Labour Relations Bill, Ethics and Anti-corruption Bill among others. Stakeholders including constitutional affairs Minister Mutula Kilonzo have expressed confidence that parliament is up to the task and if the sitting hours are extended and everything focused on the constitutional bills, members will be able to debate and pass all the bills by Friday. But on the other hand some members have expressed pessimism and called for the extension of the deadline with a few claiming that a rushed process might lead to unconstitutional laws being passed. It is now a matter of wait and see on how the process progresses.