Outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta has finally ceded to Kenya Kwanza Alliance pressure to gazette the first sitting of the newly elected MPs.
Uhuru in a gazette notice dated Monday, September 5, stated that the first sitting of the National Assembly and Senate shall be held on Thursday, September 8, at the National Assembly.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 126(2) of the Constitution of Kenya, I, Uhuru Kenyatta, President and Commander in Chief of the Kenya Defense Forces appoint that the first sitting of the National Assembly shall be held at the main parliament buildings in the National Assembly, on the 8th September 2022 at 9:00 am,” Uhuru said.
It is during the first sitting that the legislators will also take their oath of office.
Article 126(2) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 provides that once Members of Parliament have been elected in a General Election, the outgoing President, by Gazette notice has to appoint the place and date for the first sitting of the new House, which shall not be more than 30 days after the election.
Last week, a section of leaders allied to President-elect William Ruto had raised concerns that the delay by President Uhuru Kenyatta in gazetting the first sitting would plunge the country into a Constitutional crisis.
Led by former National Assembly majority leader Aden Duale, the leaders had accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of deliberately delaying the swearing-in of the legislators, a move they had stated would create a constitutional crisis.
“What is therefore cooking? Is there a deliberate move to delay or negate the swearing-in of MPs-elect? Is there an attempt to create a constitutional crisis by ensuring that Parliament is not in place?” Garissa Town MP-elect Aden Duale stated.
