The Senate has invited members of the public to submit their views on the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2024, a bill tabled by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, which seeks to extend President William Ruto’s term limit.
This comes after the Nandi Senator reintroduced the bill before the floor of the Senate on September 26 after he had initially shelved it due to public outrage.
In a notice published on October 2, the Senate called on the public to share their opinions regarding the bill.
“In accordance with the provisions of Articles 118 and 256 of the Constitution and standing order 145 (5) of the Senate Standing Orders, the Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights now invites interested members of the public to submit any representations that they may have on the bill by way of written memoranda,” part of the statement read.
Senate gives direction on Cherargei’s bill
The notice gave further directions where the memoranda may be submitted to the Clerk of the Senate with address P.O. Box 41842-00100, Nairobi.
Alternatively, the memoranda can be hand-delivered to the Office of the Clerk of the Senate, Main Parliament Buildings, Nairobi or emailed to clerk.senate@parliament.go.ke and copied to senatejlahrc@@parliament.go.ke.
Also Read: Samson Cherargei Profile: Education Background, Family, Career and Politics
According to the notice, members of the public are directed to submit their views before Friday, October 2024 at 5.00 p.m.
In addition, Kenyans were invited to attend a public hearing of the bill that would be held by the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights on Friday, October 25 at 9.00 a.m.
The bill seeks to amend the constitution to extend the term of the office of the President from 5 years to 7 years.
Apart from amending the constitution to extend the presidential term limit, the bill also proposes further constitutional amendments.
Other contents in the Bill besides Presidential Term Limit
It seeks to extend the current 5-year term of Members of Parliament (MPs) to 7 years.
Additionally, it aims to extend the term of office for Members of County Assemblies and County Governors from five years to seven years.
Furthermore, the bill seeks to provide for the procedure for removal of a Governor or a Deputy Governor from office.
Also Read: National Assembly Rejects Ndengu Bill 2022 Passed by Senate
At the same time, the bill also seeks to create the office of the Prime Minister who shall be appointed by the President from amongst the members of Parliament.
It further proposes to involve the Senate in approving the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in any part of the country.
Currently, the constitution dictates that the executive must seek the approval of the National Assembly.
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