Laikipia and Uasin-Gishu county assemblies lead in Bill generation

The County Assemblies Forum (CAF) has revealed the disparities in Bill generation among the 47 county assemblies.

According to details on the CAF website, the Laikipia and Uasin Gishu county assemblies generated and passed the highest number of Bills last year.

Inviting the public to make use of the data, Dr Nuh Nassir, CAF's national chairman, who doubles as the Tana River County Assembly Speaker, said: "CAF invites you to catch a glimpse of progress in the law-making function of the 47 assemblies. Details of the speakers, deputy speakers and clerks of the county assemblies can also be seen in this dynamic map."

CAF brings together all members of the county assemblies numbering close to 2,500 (elected and nominated) plus the speakers of the 47 assemblies and their deputies.

While Laikipia County Assembly generated 41 Bills and passed 24, Uasin Gishu County Assembly generated 24 Bills and passed all of them, CAF's data indicates.

Other county assemblies that recorded a high number of Bills passed include Murang'a (19), Turkana (18), Kericho (16), Meru (15), Machakos (15), Kiambu (14), Kitui (13), Kisumu (12), and Taita Taveta (eleven).

The cities of Nairobi and Mombasa do not seem to be doing very well as far as legislation is concerned, Nairobi having only managed to generate 13 Bills but pass six, while Mombasa is recorded to have not passed a single Bill.

Dr Nassir's own Tana-River county assembly generated nine Bills in 2014 and passed five.

Core functions of county assemblies include making laws for the effective performance of the county government, exercising oversight over the county executive committee, receiving and approving plans and policies for managing and exploiting the county's resources, and developing and managing the infrastructure and institutions.

But according to Attorney General Githu Muigai, legislation in county assemblies has become the new impediment to devolution, a view shared by many legal experts, who express concern about the quality and constitutionality of some Bills formulated by these assemblies.

The AG has been on record as saying legislation drafting is one of the teething problems impeding the implementation of the 2010 Constitution, at the county and national level.

He has, however, pointed out that Kenyans should appreciate that legislative drafting is a specialised area and that there are very few legislative drafters in the country.

Some counties have also been accused of rushing Bills through the assembly without proper public participation.

A recent report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights accused some Members of County Assemblies of passing Bills that residents did not understand because their opinions were not sought.