Cabinet approves four constitutional bills

KiN Reports

The Kenyan Cabinet on Saturday approved for immediate publication and presentation to parliament four constitution implementation bills. In a special meeting at State House chaired by President Mwai Kibaki, the Cabinet approved the Urban Areas and Cities Bill 2011, Environment and Land Court Bill 2011, The Kenya Citizens and Foreign Nationals Bill 2011 and Citizenship and Immigration Bill 2011.

The cabinet was sitting for third time this week in a bid to beat the August 27 deadline set out in the constitution implementation schedule.

The Urban Areas and Cities Bill 2011 seeks to give effect to article 184 of the constitution that aims to provide for the classification, governance and management of urban areas in the country. It also provides criteria for the management of urban areas and the participation of residents.

The Environment and Land Court Bill 2011 will give effect to article 162 of the constitution. It establishes the Environment and Land Court that is mandated to hear and determine disputes relating to the environment, the use, occupation and title of land. The court shall be accessible to all without undue cost or procedural technicalities.

The Kenya Citizens and Foreign Nationals Bill 2011 establishes the Kenya citizens and foreign management service.

It provides for the creation and maintenance of national management, registration and laws relating to births and deaths, identification and registration of persons for connected purposes.

The Citizenship and Immigration Bill 2011 provides a legal framework for the administration of matters relating to citizenship, issuance of travel documents, immigration and for connected purposes.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has said that the Cabinet rare meeting is a demonstration of the government to fast-tracking and passing of crucial and implementation of Bills. Mr. Musyoka said the House Business Committee (HBC) during its deliberations on Tuesday will deliberate on how Parliament will extend seating hours in order to enable it debate more Bills ahead of the 27 August deadline.