In March, Kiminini Member of Parliament Hon Chris Wamalwa introduced a bill in the parliament to have the election date changed from August to December.
The bill was scheduled to be voted for on Wednesday October 10, 2018 but it had to be postponed to the Wednesday of October 17, 2018 due to the fixing of a Moi Day holiday on October 10.
Early Wednesday October 17, 2018, MP Wamalwa while appearing on an interview with KTN expressed his confidence in numbers, citing that there were enough house members to pass the bill.
He said the draft had gone through all the parliamentary procedures in accordance with the standing orders.
The MP also dismissed claims that the move was a plot to extend the term of the current Parliament.
“It was once tabled by the late Mutula Kilonzo and David Ochieng. This is the third time I am tabling. We tabled the public participation report and that of the Justice and Legal Affairs which indicated 80 per cent of Kenyans are supporting the change,” he said.
Wamalwa argued that the current dates interfere with school calendar under the new curriculum.
However, the MPs failed to raise the requisite numbers to push the date of election from second Tuesday of August of every fifth year to the third Monday of December every fifth year.
The Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2018, sponsored by Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa needed the backing of at least 233 members but only 187 were present in the House.
“The records show we have only managed to raise 172 members electronically and 15 manually bringing the total to 187 which essentially means that the bill has been defeated,” Speaker Justin Muturi.
Leader of majority Aden Duale, even as he lauded Wamalwa’s efforts, said he would have voted against the amendment as it affects the president’s term.
This is the second time that the House is rejecting such a bill as in the last Parliament, members rejected a similar one by former Ugenya MP David Ochieng.
The bill was introduced in March on grounds that changing the election date would honour Kenya’s unique circumstances and traditions