[Source: Daily Nation, by David Mwere]
President Uhuru Kenyatta wants parliament to expedite the enactment of five bills he says are crucial to the implementation of government programmes under the Big Four agenda.
The Big Four are Universal Health Coverage, food security, affordable housing and manufacturing.
In his appeal to the National Assembly and Senate, Mr Kenyatta said the mediation process on Land Value Index Laws (Amendment) Bill, Physical Planning Bill, Irrigation Bill, Warehouse Receipt System Bill and Kenya Roads Bill should be fast-tracked.
In his address to the nation last Thursday, the President gave a rare thumbs up to parliament saying it remains a strident defender of “our democracy”.
Last week, National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi appointed members to the four mediation committees on the bills.
Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka is also required to reciprocate by appointing his team of members to the mediation committees so they can come up with agreed versions of the bills.
The committees, under article 113 (4) of the Constitution, have 30 days to conclude the exercise.
The count begins on the day they hold their first meetings as fully constituted entities.
The advent of the committees came after the National Assembly rejected several of the Senate’s amendments to the five bills.
National Assembly majority leader Aden Duale and his minority colleague John Mbadi are among the members to the four mediation committees.
The land laws bill is also crucial to the government’s infrastructure development plan as it aims to harmonise land compensation by providing for negotiated valuation that will bring down the cost, thereby helping the government to roll out projects faster.
The committee on Land Value Index Laws (Amendment) bill and Physical Planning bill has the majority leader, Mr Mbadi (Suba South), Rachael Nyamai (Kitui South), Caleb Kositany (Soy) and Mishi Mboko (Likoni).
