ON HOLIDAY: MPs during the official opening of the newly refurbished parliamentary chambers in Nairobi on August 07, 2012.
The 349 MPs elected in the March 4 general election managed to pass barely 24 bills before breaking for the long Christmas holiday. A number of the passed bills by the MPs since they were sworn in 10 months ago are amendments to existing laws. The lawmakers went on Christmas recess last Thursday and they will resume on February 11, 2014.
For the past 10 months the MPs have been in office, they have each earned approximately Sh10 million in salary and allowances translating to a total of Sh3.5 billion. The MPs have held 105 sessions since the swearing in on March 28th.
Notable bills the MPs passed in the course of 2013 include the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation (Amendment) Bill that has now given the members a leeway to alter the final report prepared by TJRC.
The MPs also passed the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) bill and the Media Council Bill. The two bills have been criticized on ground that it is a campaign by the Jubilee government to silence the media.
The MPs also enacted the Election Campaign Financing Bill giving way for a law that will govern the expenditures by individuals and political parties during campaigns. The lawmakers also passed a bill granting the Judges and Magistrate Vetting Board more time to complete its work.
The MPs also passed the National Social Security Fund Bill to raise the monthly contribution of a worker to 6 percent of the income.
They also passed Kenya Heroes Bill to usher in a law on the criteria for identifying, selecting and honouring national heroes.
The MPs have also passed the Matrimonial Property Bill, 2013 where they rejected 50-50 sharing of property by a couple upon divorce.
They inserted a new clause providing that property should be shared according to the contribution made by each spouse in the marriage.
Bills passed by the MPs related to the budget include the Division of Revenue Bill, the Value Added Tax Bill, the Appropriation Bill and the Supplementary Appropriation Bill.
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