This archive report was first published on 12 May 2020.
On May 12, 2020, a contentious issue arose in Parliament over the adoption of mediated version reports of the two County Government (Amendment) Bills, 2017.
According to Article 123 of the Constitution, voting on a county matter before the House is done by the elected Senator or the nominated Senator of a respective county having been delegated to vote on behalf of a delegation.
However, Leader of Majority Aden Duale raised constitutional issues on the manner in which the Senate approved the mediated reports, claiming that the Senate violated Article 123 by allowing its immediate former leader of majority Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet) and deputy leader of minority Cleophas Malala (Kakamega) to vote on behalf of the other Senators.
Mr. Duale argued that the move by the Senate was 'an absurdity and unheard off anywhere in the world.'
He noted that unless the Senate is stopped, the same mode of voting was bound to be applied on the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, 2020, which allocates money equitably to all the 47 counties.
MPs Dr. Chris Wamalwa (Kiminini) and Junet Mohamed (Suna East) supported Mr. Duale's concerns, stating that the issues raised were weighty and must be dealt with first.
Deputy Speaker Moses Cheboi directed that the two mediated version reports be stepped down from among the order of business to be transacted by the House for the day pending 'further consultation' and ruling by the Speaker.
