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Ruto rejects Public Procurement Bill, sends it back to Parliament.
President William Ruto has declined to assent to the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal (Amendment) Bill, returning it to Parliament with reservations on more than 20 clauses. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula announced the referral back to the House.
At the heart of the President's objection is the bill's definition of local versus foreign firms, which he argued was "impractical" and could undermine Kenya's investment climate and its goals for attracting foreign direct investment. His memorandum raised concerns spanning clauses on eligibility, thresholds and enforcement.
The National Assembly's Finance and National Planning Committee now has 21 days to examine the objections. Parliament can either accommodate the President's reservations or move to override them, after which the Senate would need to concur. Procurement reform is a sensitive subject in Kenya, where public tendering has long been a flashpoint for corruption allegations, and lawmakers had cast the bill as a way to protect local businesses. The tussle sets up a fresh test of the balance between shielding domestic firms and keeping the country open to investors.
This story was put together by K N N from material first published by The Star.
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
President William Ruto has declined to assent to the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal (Amendment) Bill, returning it to Parliament with reservations on more than 20 clauses. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula announced the referral back to the House.
At the heart of the President’s objection is the bill’s definition of local versus foreign firms, which he argued was “impractical” and could undermine Kenya’s investment climate and its goals for attracting foreign direct investment. His memorandum raised concerns spanning clauses on eligibility, thresholds and enforcement.
The National Assembly’s Finance and National Planning Committee now has 21 days to examine the objections. Parliament can either accommodate the President’s reservations or move to override them, after which the Senate would need to concur. Procurement reform is a sensitive subject in Kenya, where public tendering has long been a flashpoint for corruption allegations, and lawmakers had cast the bill as a way to protect local businesses. The tussle sets up a fresh test of the balance between shielding domestic firms and keeping the country open to investors.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
