National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has called for a special sitting to deliberate on the Constitution Amendment Bill 2020 also known as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
In a notice released on Monday, April 26, Muturi announced that the special sittings will be held on Wednesday, April 28, and Thursday, April 29.
“Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 29(3) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly, it is notified for the information of the Members of National Assembly and the general public that Special Sittings of the Assembly shall be held on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, commencing at 10:00 am and 2:30 respectively and Thursday, April 29, 2021, commencing at 10:00 am and 2:30 respectively in the National Assembly Chamber,” the notice read in part.
A report by the Joint Parliamentary Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) will be tabled before the sitting.
The BBI report has so far raised a number of questions after it emerged that report proposed the creation of 70 new constituencies without consulting with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
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It also emerged that a majority, 34, of the counties, debated and approved the wrong BBI format.
The joint committee established that there are three formats of the BBI document. The Senate debated the only format approved by the IEBC. Experts, however, indicated that the format received by the National Assembly was the correct format.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his handshake partner, ODM Leader Raila Odinga have already dismissed the fake bills.
The MPs will debate the BBI bill in its second and third reading. The MPs will then deliberate and vote on the bill, determining whether or not there will be a referendum.
However, if the National Assembly passes the document, the Constitution requires a majority from both houses, meaning the Senate will also have to take a vote.
