Azimio leader Raila Odinga has called for the speedy parliamentary approval of the Bipartisan Committee Bills to end the culture of political prostitution.
The Azimio boss said on Thursday that once the National Dialogue Committee(Nadco) report is adopted by Parliament, its implementation will see MPs who cross over the istle lose their seats.
Raila who is also the ODM boss said that elected leaders must respect the will of the people who voted for them by remaining loyal to the sponsoring parties for the rest of their term.
“Once elected on an ODM ticket, you have a contract with the party for five years and if you want to cross to the other side, then you must resign and seek a fresh mandate,” Raila said in Kisii.
Speaking while he launched the Marani vegetable aggregation centre, Raila said elected leaders must respect democracy and uphold its principles.
“That is why we took the Nadco report to Parliament and we want it passed quickly so that those who cross to other parties must resign,” Raila said.
The National Assembly and the Senate last week approved the Nadco report without any amendments.
The Nadco team was led by former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah had proposed nine key Bills, including a constitutional amendment, to actualize recommendations.
However, there has been a standoff in Parliament over its implementation after key allies of Raila and President Willliam Ruto clashed on the mode.
The Star has established that a meeting called by Speakers Moses Wetang’ula of the National Assembly and his Senate counterpart Amason Kingi on Tuesday ended in a stalemate.
Two factions have since emerged, with one pushing that MPs be allowed to amend the Bills and another saying the report and its associated Bills be passed as adopted.
The National Assembly and Senate passed the Nadco report without amendments, setting the stage for the implementation of the Bills.
Raila’s faction wants the Bills passed without any changes.
However, Ruto’s troops want MPs to be given a free hand to propose amendments.
Among the pieces proposed by the Nadco team is the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment), Bill, 2023, which if passed would radically change the structure of government.
The Bill proposes the office of Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition, Senate Oversight Fund, National Government Affirmative Action Fund, and National Government-Constituency Development Fund and extends the term of the Senate from the current five or seven years.
Nadco also recommended changes to the IEBC Act to increase the number of members of the polls commission to nine from the current seven.
The IEBC (Amendment) Bill provides that the decision of the commission shall either be by a unanimous decision or by a majority of the commissioners.
Other legislative pieces are the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Elections Offences (Amendment), Bill, 2023, and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
The Leader of Opposition Bill, 2023, has also been fronted as part of the draft legislation to be sponsored by Ichung’wah and Wandayi.
Others are the Statutory Instruments (Amendments) Bill, of 2023, the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, of 2023, and the National Government Coordination (Amendment) Bill, of 2023.
The Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, 2023 is seeking to bar elected leaders from proclaiming ideologies of rival parties.
