The Commission on the Implementation of the Constitution ( CIC) has dismissed allegations by MPs that they are sitting on critical Bills that should be passed by Parliament before the August 27 deadline.
CIC boss Charles Nyachae/FILE
CIC Chairman Charles Nyachae said there are no pending Bills in his office and insisted they have forwarded all the proposed legislations to Attorney General Githu Muigai as required by law. “It is a shameful situation when lies are being told to the nation on the floor of the National Assembly,” Nyachae told The Standard on Sunday.
“We have sent all the Bills to the Attorney General because that’s the procedure. As to what the AG has done with them I do not know. All those allegations against CIC are purely false,” the CIC boss clarified yesterday.
On Thursday, a section of MPs trailed their guns at CICfor what they termed as ‘holding the house at ransom’ by failing to release key Bills even as they sought to extend the implementation of three constitutional Bills by four months.
“ CIC should deliver on its mandate and it should not hold Parliament at ransom. The delay in tabling the Bills is also affecting Parliament and putting MPs on the spot when in reality it is not the mistake of the legislators,” said Baringo North MP William Cheptumo.
But speaking on Saturday, Nyachae emphasised that Bills originate from the Executive and not from his commission.
“Kenyans should understand that the Bills do not originate from CIC. The Bills originate from the Executive. In any case, the executive sometimes bypasses CIC and tables the Bills in Parliament directly,” he noted.
The chairman said they finished reviewing some of the said Bills, such as the Data Protection Bill, before the 10th Parliament was dissolved.
MPs are seeking to push to December the implementation of the Freedom of the Media Bill, Support for County Governments Bill, and the Public Participation and County Assembly Powers, Privileges and Immunities Bill.
If the extension being sought is not granted, any member of the public can move to the High Court to seek the disolution of Parliament for failure to implement the Constitution.
By FELIX OLICK, The Standard
