Parliament to Reconvene for Special Sittings from Wednesday to Debate BBI

The National Assembly will hold special sittings from Wednesday, April 28, 2021, to debate the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) bill among other matters.

Last week, National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi had revealed that the joint committee of the two Houses was finalizing its report on the bill before tabling it.

Having met the constitution threshold and being passed by over 40 County assemblies, the bill is set to be debated in parliament.

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.

Read: Parliament To Reconvene For Special Sitting Next Week Over BBI Bill

Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka had last month 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 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.

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.

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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