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Kenyaâs Parliament Reconvenes to Implement New Constitution

   Peter Clottey 09 August 2010
   Kenyans  queue  in numbers at a poling station in the Rift Valley town
   of Nakuru, Kenya, 04 Aug 2010

Photo: AP

   Kenyans  queue  in numbers at a poling station in the Rift Valley town
   of Nakuru, Kenya, 04 Aug 2010

   The  Speaker of Kenyaâs parliament says the legislature will reconvene
   Tuesday following the decision by a majority of Kenyans to approve the
   newly-proposed constitution in last weekâs referendum.

   The  Honorable  Kenneth  Merende  told VOA parliament will soon set up
   committees   that   will   see  to  the  oversight,  as  well  as  the
   implementation, of the constitution.

   âWeâve  had  a  successful  transition  towards  a  new constitutional
   dispensation  and we believe that this is good for the country. We see
   Kenya  emerging,  transformed  and reformed and a greater country,â he
   said.

   Kenyaâs local media reports that President Mwai Kibaki is scheduled to
   publicly  declare  valid  the  new constitution on 27^th August at the
   Uhuru Park in the capital, Nairobi.

   The  promulgation is reportedly in accordance with the Constitution of
   Kenya Review Act of 2008 and the Constitution of Kenya (amendment) Act
   of 2008.

   Kenya's parliament in session

   Parliament  speaker Merende said Kenyans are fully prepared to embrace
   the tenets of democracy.

   âThe  president will have 14 days running from the 6^th of August 2010
   when  the  outcome  of  the  referendum  was  gazetted and, therefore,
   published  on  the  6^th of August. He has 14 days within which he can
   promulgate the new constitution,â Merende said.

   He  also said that opponents of the new constitution will also have 14
   days  to  register  their protest by legally challenging the result of
   the 4^th August referendum.

   According  to  Kenyaâs  Interim  Independent  Electoral  Commission, a
   majority  of  Kenyans  approved the new law in last weekâs referendum.
   The  electoral  body  said the 'Yes' team garnered about 67 percent of
   the total votes, while those against the constitution or the 'No' team
   only managed to get about 30 percent of the votes.

   Speaker  Merende said parliament will look at ways of implementing the
   new constitution.

   âAs  parliament, we are set to begin the legislative program to ensure
   that we provide the necessary statutory underpinning to operationalize
   the  new constitution. Among this is the mention of implementation and
   oversight  committees  of  parliament,  which  will  oversee the whole
   process,â Merende said.

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