NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 1 – A petition has been filed in court seeking to compel National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula to call for a sitting to conclude the legislative process of the Finance Bill 2024.
The suit further seeks a interpretation of the recommendation by President William Ruto for ‘deleting’ all clauses.
According to the petitioner Kennedy Wanyanga, there are mechanisms in the constitution for the amendment of any provisions pursuant to Articles 255, 256 and 257.
He argued that Parliament cannot amend any provision through the Standing Orders or alter any such Constitutional timelines as sanctioned by the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
“The actions by the President have occasioned a peculiar scenario not contemplated under the law which is to the effect that Parliament is to delete a Bill already passed by the House whereas the law as designed does not anticipate the withdrawal of a Bill after the theird reading,” he said in his suit papers.
Through lawyer Arnold Oginga, he is seeking an interpretation of Article 115 of the Constitution on the status of the Finance Bill, 2024.
He also challenged the constitutionality of Standing Orders permitting the National Assembly to go on recess in the middle of the legislative timelines under Article 115.
He is further seeking a declaration that the Finance Bill, 2024 shall not come into force after the lapse of 14 days and an Order for the National Assembly to cancel the recess and act on the President’s referral in his Memo.
Source: capitalfm
