The National Assembly and Senate will reconvene for a special sitting on Wednesday and Thursday next week over the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Bill.
According to National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi, the joint committee of the two Houses will finalize its report on the bill on Monday before it is tabled.
Last month, Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka directed that the BBI Bill be introduced in the house for its first reading on Thursday, March 4, 2021.
The resolution, according to the speaker was arrived at after a meeting was held earlier by the Senate Business Committee.
Lusaka further directed the House’s Justice and Legal Affairs committee to hold a joint meeting with the National Assembly and conduct public participation.
Read: BBI Bill To Be Simultaneously Introduced In Senate, National Assembly On Thursday
This meant that the bill was to be introduced to the Senate, National Assembly simultaneously.
“I direct that the clerk of the House ensure there are sufficient copies of the Bill in the form that was presented to the county assemblies by the IEBC,” Lusaka said.
In a similar account of events, the High Court issued temporary orders suspending the implementation of the BBI bill if passed by parliament.
In a ruling by a five-judge bench, President Uhuru Kenyatta will not be able to sign the bill into law until the case is heard and determined.
The BBI already met the constitution threshold of having been passed by over 40 County assemblies.
Read Also: Raila Odinga Recovers From COVID-19, Meets ODM Leaders To Discuss BBI
According to the Constitution of Kenya, if the Bill is supported by a majority of the members of Parliament it shall be subjected to a referendum.
The referendum is expected to be held sometime in June, according to proponents of the BBI.
BBI proposes, among others, an amendment of the Constitution to introduce additional 70 MP seats in what its drafters say is meant to address issues touching on gender, People living with disabilities and under-representation in heavily populated counties.
The proposal will see the National Assembly have a total of 360 MPs up from the current 290.
In the Senate, Kenyans will vote for 94 Senators if the Bill is passed.
The House will be composed of one man and one woman elected in each of the 47 counties.
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