National Assembly processes 18 bills before recess

By Peter Ochieng

The National Assembly processed a total of 18 bills during the second session, by the time the House went on long recess last week.

The 18 which has since been assented into law by President William Ruto, form part of the 114 bills that are at various stages of consideration.

Among the Bills approved by the House are crucial legislations relating to Climate Change, reforms in the health sector and government financing of priority projects.

"The Finance Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 14 of 2023) approved in June 2023, provided the revenue raising measures by the Government, to facilitate the budget estimates for the financial year 2023/2024. The passage of this legislation paved the way for the introduction of a housing levy to fund the Affordable Housing initiative by the Government, and also increased the fuel levy to boost the fund ringfenced for fuel price stabilisation," reads as statement from Parliament, seen by Nairobi Review.

"In what perhaps demonstrates that Climate Change and its effects is now becoming a priority agenda for legislatures, the National Assembly also approved the Climate Change (Amendment) Bill which sought to amend the Climate Change Act, 2016 to provide for the regulation of carbon markets."

The amended National Government-Constituencies Develoment Fund (NG-CDF) Act which was assented to by President William Ruto early December, expanded the mandate of the fund to cater for projects such as climate mitigation, placing Kenyan legislators at the center of climate change mitigation efforts.

The amended Act allocates a maximum of 5 percent of the funds allocated per constituency to climate change mitigation activities including afforestation, reforestation, grassroot sensitization, and tree seedling production.

Another notable development in the second session was the enactment of four health Sector Bills, two of which originated in the National Assembly.

The August House considered and approved the Digital Health Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 57 of 2023) which provided for the establishment of the Digital Health Agency, and the Social Health Insurance Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 58 of 2023) which established a legislative framework to regulate the provision of social health insurance.

The Bill further repealed the National Health Insurance Fund Act (No. 9 of 1998).

Three public Funds were established under the Act, namely the Primary Healthcare Fund, the Social Health Insurance Fund, and the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund, for funding of healthcare services.

The other two health Bills that originated in the Senate were the Facilities Improvement Financing Bill (Senate Bill No. 43 of 2023) and the Primary Health Care Bill (Senate Bill No. 44 of 2023).

Legislatures will be back in session in February, 2024.