The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2017 will come into force on Friday are set to come into force on Friday whether President Uhuru Kenyatta will assent or not.
This is according to Leader of Majority in Parliament Aden Duale.
He said the 14 days given by the Constitution for the President to either assent to the Bill or return it back to Parliament with a memorandum will lapse on October 27 (Friday).
If they do lapse before he signs the Bill into law, it will automatically become a law.
“We, the legislators have done out bit. He has until October 27 to make the decision, including returning the Bill to Parliament with a memorandum proposing changes on some clauses,” said Duale according to the Star.
The President according to his confidants is still studying the Bill and will sign it to law or take it back to Parliament “at the right time”.
The proposed changes to electoral law have been subject of criticism both in local and international spheres.
Jubilee Party which sponsored the Bill through Baringo North MP William Cheptumo was lambasted by the opposition for allegedly trying to take the country back to the “dark days”.
In fact, NASA allied MPs boycotted sittings in Parliament when the Bill was being debated and when it was unanimously passed by Jubilee MPs before it went to the Senate where it was again rubber stamped without any changes being made to it.
The international community, UK and the US has also been asking Jubilee to withdraw the Bill which has formed part of the political stalemate between President Uhuru Kenyatta and NASA’s Raila Odinga.
But, Duale said the Bill was addressing grave misgivings and loopholes in the IEBC.
In particular, he said it was to cushion Kenyans against partisan interests projected by IEBC Chair Wafula Chebukati and ex-commissioner Dr Roselyn Akombe.
“This law was specifically meant for IEBC commissioners’ behaviour…[chairman Wafula] Chebukati and [Roselyn] Akombe seemed partisan,” further stated Duale.
“The law was created so that in the event the IEBC chairman resigns, the vice chair takes charge or any commissioner takes over. A commissioner would also take over if the VC resigned.”