The Kenyan parliament are back with a bang. The two Houses had been on a month-long Christmas recess and resume duty to a packed in-tray. The statistics bill, which is awaiting publication, has significant implications on the national census to be held in August. There is also the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) that Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich is to present to MPs February 15. The MPs expect to conclude matters on the Budget Policy Statement to ensure the Division of Revenue bill and the County Revenue Allocation bill are passed in time.
Statistics bill 2019 is among the bills that will be given the highest priority as the National Assembly and Senate resume sittings on Tuesday for their third session after the 2017 general election. It is an amendment to the Statistics Act of 2006 that establishes the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) for the collection, compilation, analysis, publication and dissemination of statistical information, and the coordination of the national statistics system. Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich is to present to MPs February 15, according to the Public Finance Management Act.
Parliament has also prioritised the passing of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Amendment bill to provide the mechanism for hiring new commissioners whenever vacancies arises.
Another bill to be discussed is the Land Value Index Laws (Amendment) 2018 bill, which is also crucial to the government’s infrastructure development plan. It aims to address the matter of land compensation by providing for negotiated valuation that will bring down the cost thereby helping the government to roll out projects faster.