The Chairperson of the National Assembly Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs Gitonga Murugara.

📋 Breaking It Down

Tharaka MP Gitonga Murugara, the Chairperson of the National Assembly Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs (JLAC), is at the centre of a confusing paradox that unfolded on the floor of the House as he contradicted his own committee's report during the debate on the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2024.

Formally introducing the Bill to the entire House for general debate, Mr Murugara, known within Bunge corridors as “Sir George” noted that his committee was in agreement with the deletion of a clause that seeks to cap the maximum number of voters per polling station at 1,000.

This as he pushed for the retention of the current statutory limit of 700 voters per polling station when the Bill comes up for Third Reading today.

📌 What You Need to Know

But in a confusing twist, however, the very committee report on the Bill Murugara was pushing for adoption by the House recommended the 1,000-voter limit proposal, creating a baffling legislative knot during the debate that he did not clarify.

While moving the motion on the Bill, Mr Murugara had said “I must confess here that, as the chairperson of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, we have a slight problem with this provision” capping voters per polling station at 1000.

“We will be making proposals to amend these provisions when this Bill comes to a third reading,” Mr Murugara, an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, is captured by the Hansard report of the House.

Hansard is the official, verbatim record of everything said and done in a parliament or legislative assembly.

It serves as the authoritative transcript of all speeches, debates, oral questions and votes during a legislative session.

The Tharaka MP continued; “As you know very well, the current provision is that a polling area should not have more than 700 voters.”

📰 Source: Nation Africa