Bill to impeach president after 30 days without cabinet passes second reading

A bill seeking to set a 30-day time frame to compel a president to appoint ministers upon assumption of office or face impeachment, has passed second reading in the House of Representatives. The bill scaled first reading in December 2020, and seeks to create a committee that will oversee the transition of power from an outgoing president to the incoming president. According to Section 19(1) of the proposed bill, “the president shall on assumption of office, appoint ministers within 30 days from the date he took the oath of office.” Also, Section 19(2) of the bill provides that “the president shall constitute and appoint all boards of government agencies and parastatal that are due for constitution and appointment within two months from the date of his assumption of office.” According to section 19(3), the president “shall be guilty of a misconduct as provided under section 143 (2) (b) of the Constitution” if he fails to comply with the provisions of the proposed bill. That section specifically states how the president can be impeached when he is guilty of “gross misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office.”