The National Assembly is set to consider the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill and the Statutory Instruments (Amendments) Bill following proposals for amendment by the Senate. The IEBC amendment Bill, co-sponsored by the Leader of Majority Party Kimani Ichung’wah (Kikuyu) and the Leader of the Minority Party Opiyo Wandayi (Ugunja) seeks to make consequential amendments to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Act of 2011. Specifically, the Bill seeks to align the Act to the judgments of the Supreme Court in the aftermath of the recently disputed General Elections. The Court in its ruling held that certain…
Author: Silas Apollo
The Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee has resolved to conduct a special audit into the management of funds in Isiolo County. The decision follows a meeting on Tuesday with Isiolo governor Abdi Guyo, who was summoned after previously failing to appear before the committee. Senators expressed dissatisfaction with governor Guyo’s responses regarding the Bursary Fund, Emergency Fund, and the Youth, Women, and People with Disabilities Fund. They deemed the responses inadequate and warned of serious consequences, including the potential suspension of Isiolo County funds, if accountability issues weren’t addressed. EACC alarmed by rising cases of budgeted corruption…
The National Assembly has asked the High Court to dismiss a petition filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) seeking to block enactment of the Statutory Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2024. In an affidavit before court, the National Assembly argues that the petition has been filed prematurely as the Bill in question is still before the Senate awaiting the Second Reading, following its passage in the National Assembly. This, argues the National Assembly, violates the doctrine of ripeness which prohibits the court from entertaining issues prematurely when they are still abstract. “The petitioner can still present its views before the…
County governments have been asked to adhere to the constitutional threshold when hiring staff to promote diversity. The Senate Committee on Cohesion, Equal Opportunity, and Regional Integration on Thursday said that most counties were yet to adhere to Constitutional provisions of inclusion. Committee chairperson Mohamed Said Chute spoke when the committee visited Lamu county governor Issa Timamy in his office to inquire whether the county had upheld equity in its workforce. Over the past five months, the committee has summoned various government institutions to the Senate to examine the representation of Kenya’s diversity in their staff composition. The committee is…
A petitioner has moved to the Senate to challenge the decision by county governments to use external law firms to represent them in court cases. The petitioner, Laban Omusundi, an executive director of Grassroot Civilian Oversight Initiative, wants the regional governments to instead use the services of county attorneys. In the petitioned tabled before the Senate Committees on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations and the Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs, Omusundi argues that the use of private law firms has seen counties spend excessively. The petition therefore, wants the Senate to restrain county governments from hiring private law firms for…
The government has slashed this year’s budget by Sh132.46 billion, marking a 3.3% decrease from Sh3.981 trillion to approximately Sh3.848 trillion. The announcement was made when President William Ruto signed into law the Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2024 and the Division of Revenue Bill 2024 at State House, Nairobi, on Monday June 10, 2024. The new laws unlock the resources that will catalyse economic performance and enhance service delivery. The Supplementary Appropriation Act 2024 now reduces Sh32.6 billion from various budget allocations. With the rationalisation of expenditures, the law authorises the spending of Sh102 billion from the Consolidated Fund for the…
The government of Kenya has created a campaign secretariat to work with ODM leader Raila Odinga in his bid to contest for the African Union Commission chairman position. Prime cabinet secretary and foreign affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi on Wednesday said that the decision was made following consultations with Odinga as well as the need to put up a strong campaign for the Azimio leader. Speaking during a joint press conference with Odinga at the ministry of foreign affairs headquarters in Nairobi, Mudavadi said that the government will fully support Odinga’s candidate and will offer all the support needed. Mudavadi added…
The World Health Organisation defines endometriosis as a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. Endometriosis can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it harder to get pregnant and can start at a person’s first menstrual period and last until menopause. With this disease, tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus leading to inflammation and scar tissue forming in the pelvic region and (rarely) elsewhere in the body. At present, there is no known cause of endometriosis with WHO adding that there is also no known way…
Kenyan radio personality and reggae deejay Njambi Koikai, aka Fyah Mummah Jahmby Koikai, has died. Jahmby who has battled with endometriosis since she was age 13 passed away on Monday night at Nairobi Hospital. The reggae queen had been admitted to hospital and appealed for blood. “Hi fam, I’m currently admitted at the Pioneer Ward Nairobi hospital and I kindly need Blood O positive. Kindly asking for blood donors for Mary Njambi Koikai,” she wrote on Instagram stories She was mourned by many fans who said she was the source of their entertainment. Endometriosis, according to the World Health Organisation,…
The National Assembly has said that it will file responses in a High Court case where a petitioner is challenging the legality of sections of the Penal Code relating to the prosecution of capital offences. In a notice filed before court, the National Assembly has appointed a counsel to represent it in the petition filed by Katiba Institute which has listed Parliament of Kenya as the sixth respondent. The petition is challenging the continued application of the Penal Code for the arrest, detention, arraignment, prosecution and conviction of suspects of robbery with violence and those of attempted robbery with violence.…