Punguza Mizigo Bill (Constitution of Kenya Amendment), 2019. Salient Features, Strengths and Weaknesses

Essay from the year 2019 in the subject Law - Public Law / Constitutional Law / Basic Rights, , language: English, abstract: This article unpacks the Punguza Mizigo (Constitution of Kenya Amendment) Bill, 2019. It discusses the salient features, major strengths, and weaknesses of the Bill before making concluding remarks. It is easy to read and understand and is meant to act as a guide for the MCAs to enable them to make informed decisions. The MCAs hold the key to the amendment by popular initiative because once the Punguza Mizigo has been passed by at least 24 county assemblies, even if the Parliament (Senate and National Assembly) fails to pass the same, the Bill would be submitted to the Wanjikus (people of Kenya) in a referendum.3 This reaffirms the sovereignty authority of the Kenyan people. The Punguza Mizigo (Constitution of Kenya Amendment) Bill, 2019 is a Bill to amend the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 according to the popular initiative under Article 257. Promoted by the Thirdway Alliance Kenya, the Bill has one main objective: to amend the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 to reduce the burden and cost of governance currently being borne by Kenyan taxpayers. Punguza Mizigo has already complied with Articles 257(4) and (5) that requires the draft Bill and at least 1 million supporting signatures to be delivered to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for verification. The IEBC has been satisfied that the above constitutional requirements have been met and submitted the draft Bill to each of the 47 county assemblies for consideration.