The National Assembly reconvenes on Tuesday with Members of Parliament set to prioritise Bills arising from the National Dialogue Committee (Nadco) process championed by President William Ruto and late opposition leader Raila Odinga.
This marks the final phase of the Fourth Session before the House breaks in December.
Top of the agenda are several reform Bills that formed part of the bipartisan agreement aimed at easing political tensions and advancing governance reforms.
Two key pieces of legislation — the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024 — have already been enacted after receiving presidential assent. The remaining proposals are now set for parliamentary consideration.
A major focus will be the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks sweeping changes to the regulation of political parties. The Bill proposes scrapping the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties and establishing a new Independent Political Parties Regulatory Commission.
It also seeks to remove current provisions that define when a member is deemed to have left a party and transfer political party dispute resolution from the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal to the High Court.
The Senate has already approved the Bill, and it was introduced in the National Assembly in February. Lawmakers will debate it alongside recommendations from the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, which has backed the creation of a more independent and neutral oversight body in line with Nadco proposals.
MPs will also scrutinise the Election Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
The draft law proposes stiff penalties- including up to five years in prison or a Sh5 million fine — for election officials who delay announcing results. Conducting elections in unauthorised polling stations would also be criminalised.
Debate is expected to continue on proposals from the multi-sectoral taskforce on implementing the two-thirds gender rule in Parliament, as legislators consider available options to enforce the constitutional requirement.
Another key proposal, the Draft Opposition Bill, 2024, is set to be introduced once it is formally published.
However, the Legal Affairs Committee has warned that entrenching the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in the Constitution could alter core governance principles and may require a referendum.
“The Constitution does not envisage a member of the Executive sitting in Parliament… This will result in a change in the system of government, a decision reserved for the people,” the committee noted.
National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed has already signalled Parliament’s commitment to implementing the Nadco report.
“I have my colleagues Kimani Ichung’wah and Aaron Cheruiyot… We have decided as Parliament that when we go back in a week’s time, we will implement the Nadco report fully,” he said during Raila Odinga’s funeral in Bondo, Siaya County, on October 19.
Also on the schedule is the Public Participation Bill (National Assembly Bill, 2025), which aims to clearly define what constitutes adequate public input in law-making — an issue that has previously seen laws nullified in court.
