House Committee rejects Ruto-backed presidential transition Bill

National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah. (Photo: Kimani Ichung’wah/X)

By Maureen Kinyanjui
Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Introduced in February and sponsored by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, the Bill sought to enforce stricter financial and administrative restrictions during election periods.

The House team has dismissed a proposed law aimed at tightening procedures for transferring presidential power after elections.

The National Assembly Security Committee has recommended that the Assumption of the Office of the President and Transition of Executive Authority Bill, 2025, be rejected entirely, marking a setback for President William Ruto’s push for stricter transition rules.

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Introduced in February and sponsored by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, the Bill sought to enforce stricter financial and administrative restrictions during election periods.

Among its provisions was a 90-day halt on major government payments, recruitment, and contractual commitments ahead of elections.

Accounting officers would have been barred from authorising payments exceeding Sh50 million without Treasury approval, while state officers could not enter new contracts or international obligations during the transition period.

The legislation also required ministries, departments, and agencies to submit detailed handover reports by July 15 of the election year.

Reports were to include reconciled bank balances, staff records, achievements, ongoing disciplinary cases, pending Bills, asset management, current projects, and legal obligations.

Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries would have been prohibited from making fresh appointments or travelling abroad without written consent from the head of Public Service.

The Bill was intended “to seal gaps and ensure smooth and more unified presidential transitions,” following the challenges Ruto faced during his 2022 handover from former President Uhuru Kenyatta, which his team described as obstructed and unfair.

It also allowed the transition committee to expand to nine designated state officers and clarified that the absence of an outgoing president would not delay the swearing-in.

However, the Security Committee, chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo, said the existing law is sufficient.

“The Assumption of the Office of President Act is an elaborate and comprehensive law that adequately provides for the assumption of office of the President,” the committee said.

“Accordingly, a new law is unnecessary and amendments to the existing law ought to have been proposed to cure any gaps noted during implementation of the current Act.”

The committee also cautioned that restricting expenditure during the transition period could hinder essential government operations such as healthcare, disaster management, and national security.

It noted that the Constitution and other statutes already provide clear guidelines for the appointment, removal, and placement of senior officers nominated by a president-elect.