Uhuru to assent to election law amendment Bill after Senate nod

Uhuru to assent to election law amendment Bill after Senate nod

The Elections Amendment Bill, 2017 will now be forwarded to President Uhuru Kenyatta for assent after the Senate on Thursday approved the amendments passed by the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The Bill will be sent back to the National Assembly where it originated before it is forwarded to the President for final approval.

The Head of State had indicated that he will enact the Bill into law as soon as parliament passes the controversial changes which have been strongly rejected by the opposition.

Addressing the House on Wednesday, Baringo MP William Cheptumo, who is the chairperson of the Joint Committee on Electoral Related Laws, said the amendments seek to address the anomalies that led to the nullification of the August 8 presidential election.

The amendments include a clause allowing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to declare a candidate the winner if his or her only competitor withdraws from the poll.

The Bill also provides for IEBC’s chairperson to announce the results of a presidential election without results from all 290 constituencies as long as the remaining results are not enough to change the outcome of the election

Also approved is a clause which compels the electoral commission to develop a complementary backup system other than the electronic system which was previously provided for as the only constitutional mode to transmit the results.

The draft law allows that, in case of any discrepancy between the electronically transmitted and the physically delivered results by returning officers to the national tallying centre, the manual results shall prevail.

“Where there is a discrepancy between the electronically transmitted and the physically delivered results, the commission shall verify the results and the result which is an accurate record of the results tallied, verified and declared at the respective polling station shall prevail,” Mr Cheptumo said.

 

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President Uhuru Kenyatta National Super Alliance (NASA) controversial election laws amendment bill

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