Ekuru Aukot’s Punguza Mizigo Bill is officially dead after failing to gain support of the minimum 24 counties to qualify for debate in the National Assemblies.
By Wednesday evening 31 out of 47 counties had shot down Aukot’s bill on grounds that the bill is unrealistic and retrogressive.
Kajiado, Nyandarua, Kilifi, Trans Nzoia, Garissa, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kericho, Kisumu, Meru, Tana River, Busia, became the latest counties to shoot down the bill on Wednesday.
Among other things, the bill proposed to reduce the number of MPs to 147.
Other counties that have rejected the bill are: Nairobi, Kiambu, Siaya, Nakuru, Murang’a, Kakamega, Kisii, Kirinyaga, Nyamira, Makueni, Nyeri, Mandera, Lamu, and Homa Bay.
For Aukot’s bill to succeed, it needed support from ward representatives in at least 24 regional assemblies, but only Uasin Gishu County voted in favour of the initiative.
Many of the assemblies rejected the bill,saying it was populist and sought to erode gains made by the 2010 Constitution.
Aukot has repeatedly accused the “big boys” in the political arena of wooing and even intimidating MCAs to reject the bill.
