Key House committee suspends debate on IEBC report

 

National Assembly Leader of Majority Aden Duale The House Business committee has shelved debate on a report that cleared the electoral commissioners. This puts to rest, although temporarily, the debate over which of the two parallel committees of the House should spearhead electoral reforms. The Committee, which sets the agenda for the House made the decision, effectively negotiating a middle ground in the conflict pitting the 14 member bi-partisan select committee, the Justice and Legal Affairs committee and the Constitutional Implementation and Oversight committee. “We have convinced members of the joint National Assembly committee that we shelve all business touching on electoral reform until the bi-partisan committee finishes its work,” said Leader of Majority Aden Duale on the floor of the House. “Following lengthy discussions, we agreed that while the Justice and Legal Affairs committee has finished its work, there is no going back. A perception had been created that would have jeopardised the work of the select committee. To show leadership, we agreed to defer discussion of the report for 30 days. We anticipate that the select committee shall have finished its work by then,” the Jubilee coalition’s Chief Whip Kato ole Metito told the House. The decision to suspend the debate on the report will come as a relief to the select committee which has maintained that it has a wider mandate and, therefore, superior to the joint National Assembly team. The dispute was complicated after the joint committee proceeded to clear commissioners of the IEBC, raising a possibility of conflict if the select committee gives contradictory recommendations. The committee is mandated to consider any allegations against the commissioners and consider options for their exit.

Source:Standard/Kenya