By RAWLINGS OTIENO and VITALIS KIMUTAI
National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende will Friday issue writs and declare three seats vacant paving way for by-elections in Kangema, Ndhiwa and Kajiado North Constituencies.
The seats felt vacant after the deaths of the MPs Environment Minister John Muchuki, Internal Security Minister Prof. George Saitoti and his assistant Orwa Ojodeh.
Michuki died after an illness while Saitoti and Ojodeh perished in the plane crash at Ngong forest along other four Police officers.
“I have consulted the IEBC on their readiness to conduct a by-election on the three constituencies. I will be declaring the vacancies and the writs within the next 24 hours,” said Marende.
Marende said that upon the declaration of the seats vacant and the writs, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission IEBC will announce the dates of the by-election.
Speaking when European Union officials paid courtesy call at parliament buildings in Nairobi Thursday, Marende said that Parliament was on course to pass the necessary laws before August 26.
The Kangema constituents have been without a representative to Parliament since February this year, and the news of writs from the speaker will be a reprieve.
The by-election for Kangema Constituency was seen to delay owing to lack of express legal frameworks that provide for by-elections.
This was because there were no legal frameworks that expressly outline how the by-elections can be carried out. This has now been dealt with after the President assented to the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, 2012.
