Gay clause puts Githu Muigai on the spot

Posted  Tuesday, November 11, 2014 |  by- NATION REPORTER

The Bill, if passed, could be seen to sanction homosexuality.

Attorney-General Prof Githu Muigai. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU |

Attorney-General Githu Muigai is in the eye of the storm for presenting a Bill to Parliament that, if passed, could be seen to sanction homosexuality.

A clause in a Bill on the directorship of companies says “a person is a member of a director’s family (whether of a different sex or the same) with whom the director lives … as a partner in an enduring family relationship”.

This is in clause 124 (1) (b) of the Companies Bill of 2014.

MPs took exception to the clause since marriage between same-sex people is outlawed in the Constitution.

They said Attorney-General Githu Muigai, as the government’s legal adviser, should have removed the clause before presenting the Bill to Parliament.

THROWN OUT

The Bill is with Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, chaired by Ainabkoi MP Samuel Chepkonga.

“If I bring this clause to the attention of the members, then this Bill will be thrown out,” Mr Chepkonga said on Tuesday.

The committee met members of the Kenya Law Reform Commission, officials from the AG’s office and the registrar of companies at Continental House in Nairobi on Tuesday where they discussed the proposed law.