By Mercy Mwai and James Murimi @PeopleDailyKe
All eyes are on the Senate this morning when members convene for a special sitting to consider the controversial changes to the electoral laws that were passed by the National Assembly last month.
The senators are expected to debate and take a vote to either approve or reject the amendments by the National Assembly. Key among the changes, that has split the ruling side and the Opposition down the middle, is the proposal to introduce manual verification of voters as a backup to the electronic system during the elections.
Sources disclosed that senators from Jubilee and Cord have been given clear instructions by their political leaders on how to go about the said amendments. While Cord had told its team to ensure all the amendments are rejected, Jubilee, which has the majority, told its members to ensure the amendments pass as they were initially passed by the National Assembly.
The decision of Cord came after its leader, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, met with Senate Leader of Minority Moses Wetang’ula and gave him firm instructions that the Opposition should ensure the amendments do not sail through the House.
“We have given them very clear instructions as Cord, they know what to do, reject all the amendments,” said a Cord member who did not want to be named. Jubilee, on the other hand, through its leadership in the Senate, had instructed its legislators to ensure the amendments pass without any changes.
It is understood that Jubilee is counting on its numerical strength to ensure the amendments sail through the House. The changes that the senators are expected to consider, if passed, would allow the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to have the alternative manual mechanism for identification of voters and transmission of election results should electronic technology fail.
Today’s special sitting comes after Speaker Ekwee Ethuro postponed debate last Wednesday on the said amendments to allow public views in order to douse the acrimony witnessed in the National Assembly when the said laws were being passed.
After today’s sitting, Cord is expected to meet tomorrow to deliberate on the outcome of the Senate special plenary meant to debate the contentious Election Laws (Amendment) Bill. Senate’s decision to approve or shoot down the bill will determine whether the Opposition would resume its call for mass protests.
Cord co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka last week announced cancellation of demonstrations, that had been slated for yesterday, to allow the joint Senate committees on Legal Affairs and Human rights chaired by Amos Wako (Busia) and Information Communication Technology chaired by Mutahi Kagwe (Nyeri) to collect views from various stakeholders.
Accompanied by senators James Orengo (Siaya) and Wetang’ula (Bungoma), the Wiper leader said the Senate’s decision would prompt them either to continue with their pursuit for demos or to call them off. “On January 5, we shall let the country know of the next appropriate move.
We have agreed to withhold the demos slated for January 4, 2017…” said Kalonzo. Following the move the committee met with, among others, Attorney General Githu Muigai, media owners IEBC, Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Communications Commission of Kenya (CA), members of the civil society, Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) International Jurists of Kenya (ICJ), Federation of women Lawyers (Fida) National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) and Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem).
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