New leaders are expected to assume office after they are sworn in by the Judiciary.
This article breaks down the timelines for the administration of oaths in the various positions as provided for by the law.
Governors
According to the Assumption of the Office of Governor Act, elected governors should be sworn in the first Thursday after the tenth day following the declaration of the final results by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The act also provides for the formation of a special transition committee to spearhead the process of handing over power in the counties. According to the act, each county has an Assumption of the Office of Governor Committee that comprises 13 members.
Members of this committee include the respective County Commissioner, a representative of the National Police Service, a National Intelligence Service representative, and the County Secretary. Upon deliberating on the official date, the committee publishes the date and venue for the ceremony.
The Act further stipulates that the swearing-in ceremony should be held in a public place and before a High Court judge.
As of Sunday, August 14, IEBC had announced the results of gubernatorial elections in 44 counties with only Narok, Kakamega, and Mombasa Counties yet to know their governors-elect.
MPs
The Standing orders that govern the operations of Parliament state that the date for the first sitting of the members of parliament should within thirty days after the elections.
Standing Order number 26 of the National Assembly stipulates that the President shall decide the location and date of the first sitting which should not be more than 30 days after the polls.
“Whenever a new House is elected, the President, by notice in the Gazette, shall appoint the place and date for the first sitting of the new House, which shall be not more than 30 days after the election,” reads the standing order.
Article 126, clause two also states that the president should issue the notification of the date and location of the first sitting within the specified timelines.
The same timelines also apply to the Senate which is supposed to convene within 30 days after the elections.
Upon convening the first sitting, the clerks in both houses read the list of elected before administering the oaths as provided for in the Constitution.
Subsequently, the new members of parliament embark on the process of selecting the Speakers before conducting any other business.
“A Speaker shall be elected when the Senate first meets after a General Election and before the Senate proceeds with the dispatch of any other business.”
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE
