MPs banned from overseas travel

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has banned Members of Parliaments from travelling outside the country until a motion seeking to extend timelines for passing Constitutional Bills is passed.

Addressing Parliament, Muturi said he will not approve travel outside the country in order to achieve the two-thirds majority required to pass the motion.

MPs from both Cord and Jubilee met on Thursday in a Kamukunji meeting to try and build consensus on the issue but failed.

All MPs will meet on Tuesday to seek consensus on the extension of the August 27^th deadline for constitutional bills.

In the beginning of August, Parliament had exactly three weeks to pass 28 bills to meet the deadline outlined in the 5^th schedule on implementation of the Constitution enacted five years ago.

That task appears to be a ‘mission impossible’ for the August house as they have slightly under a week to do that.

But the lawmakers can extend the period of passing the proposed laws, even though such a move will need at least 233 of them to support such an extension.

Among the pending bills are several touching on the emotive land issue.

They include the Community Land Bill, the Physical Planning Bill, Historical Land Injustices Bill and Eviction and Resettlement Bill 2015.

Parliament is also yet to enact a law that will provide the ceilings on minimum and maximum amount of land one can own in the country.

Seven bills that were meant to fully implement the chapter on judiciary and delivery of justice are in the list of pending pieces of legislation.

They include the Access to Justice Bill, the Judiciary Fund Bill, and two bills on the organisation and administration of the High Court and Court of Appeal.

Parliament is also racing against time to pass the Two Third Gender Rule Bill, and a legislation on the restructuring of the provincial administration.

Should Parliament fail to enact the 15 pieces of legislation within 21 days, any Kenyan citizen can move to court to push for the dissolution of the August house.

The constitution, however, gives the lawmakers an avenue to avert a crisis, by extending the period of passing the pending laws.

However, such an extension must be supported by at least 233 members of the National Assembly.