Members of Parliament will on Thursday, for the second time, vote to have the constitution amended to change the election date, hence extending their stay in office by three months.
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi used his authority to permit the vote to be re-taken on Thursday afternoon.
“I have allowed an additional period beyond what I had initially communicated in view of the fact that Honorable Members have just returned from the long and busy recess,” said Mr Muturi.
The bill is faced by a threshhold setback since it has to be approved by 233 Members of Parliament, amid a low turn out of lrgislatures since Parliament resumed two days ago.
Read Also:Why CORD and Jubilee MPs Are in Contention Over Changing the Election Date
Majority Leader Aden Duale asked Ugenya MP David Ochieng and Samburu West Lati Lelelit who fronted the bills, to convince lawmakers to attend Parliament sessions to ensure that the bills did not fail again.
The motion flopped by a narrow margin before Parliament went on recess in early September. 216 MPs supported the bill falling shot of the required 233 votes.
In August, the Ugenya legislator expressed his disappointment when members from his own party failed to support the bill he fronted.
“Twenty of the members who voted against my bill were from ODM,” said Ochieng.
The bill had created controversy between the two political camps, Jubilee and CORD, with Opposition MPs claiming that their rivals would support the bill so they could introduce a clause seeking to extend the IEBC commissioners' term beyond December.
Read Also: Why the Next Election Date Will Not Be Changed
Ochieng' argues that the August date is too crowded with activities for elections to be held, citing the school calendar and the high tourist season during the period.
