Full in-tray as National Assembly resumes business

The National Assembly will resume its regular sittings today at 2.30pm, after a long Christmas break, House Clerk Michael Sialai announced.

This will be its fifth session in which the House will first consider and approve its Calendar. The Calendar will reflect the special circumstances occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Besides that, the House will prioritise the reconstitution of five Parliamentary Committees. They include; House Business Committee, Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Committee, Committee on Members’ Services and Facilities, Committee on Appointments and the Budget and Appropriations Committee.

The House will also consider the approval of the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) for the financial year 2021/2022 and the Annual Revenue Bills. This will pave way for the introduction and passage of the annual Divisions of Revenue Bill and the County Allocation of Revenue Bill by both Houses.

The enactment of the two Bills allows for the withdrawal of the funds from Treasury's Consolidated Fund by the national government and facilitates the transfer of the money to respective County Revenue Fund.

The House will also consider the following Pending bills: The Public Private Partnerships (Amendment) Bill, 2017(Mediated version), The Refugees Bill, 2019, The Kenya National Library Service Bill, 2020,  The Waqf Bill, 2019, The Social Assistance (Repeal) Bill, 2020, The Mediation Bill, 2020, The Business Laws (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2020 The Referendum Bill, 2020 and The National Aviation Management Bill, 2020.

The National Aviation Management Bill 2020, seeks to nationalise the loss making national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ). The airline was privatised 24 years ago but has since sank into debt and losses.

Others include; The Breastfeeding Mothers Bill, 2019; The Crops (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2019, The Alcoholic Drinks Control (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2019.

The Alcoholic Drinks and Control (Amendment) Bill, 2020, sponsored by Wundanyi MP Danson Mwakuwona amends Alcoholic Drinks Control Act, 2010 to ensure the packaging of alcoholic drinks is in quantities not below 750ml.

The Crops (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2019 seeks to boost the farming of coconut, cashew nuts and bixa.

The Breastfeeding Mothers Bill of 2019 on the other hand makes it compulsory for all persons who own, lease or rent buildings holding at least 50 people to provide a lactation room.

The room should be clean, private facility with a baby changing table, waste bucket and a sign indicating its location.