Two-week parliamentary session starts in Dodoma

SYLIVESTER DOMASA

THE National Assembly starts its session here this morning, with Members of Parliament scheduled to discuss six bills.

They include Access to Information Bill, 2015, which was previously tabled in the National Assembly but later withdrawn for lack of details.
The Parliamentary spokesman Owen Mwandumbya told reporters here yesterday that “the six bills are ready for the second hearings, debates and final hearing.”
He named other bills as the Valuation and Valuers Registration Bill, 2015, The Government Chemist Laboratory Authority Bill, 2016, The Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute Bill, 2016 and Tanzania Fisheries Institute Bill, 2016.
According to Mr Mwandumbya, during the session 110 basic questions to the government including 16 direct questions to the Prime Minister Mr Kassim Majaliwa, will be answered. “Like I said this session will last for two weeks.
It’s expected to start tomorrow (today) and end on September 16. We expect the parliament to debate all the six bills,” he said. The draft bill on access to information earlier tabled included a fairly narrow regime of exceptions and allocated an oversight role to the independent commission for human rights and good governance.
Tanzania announced to adopt a right to information law at the Open Government Partnership held in London October 2013.
Critics had it that the bill lacked details in relation to requesting and appeals procedures while including a small number of promotional measures. But the parliamentary committee of constitution and legal affairs said the fresh bill responds to the needs and requests outlined by stakeholders.
Journalists will still wait the final product when it is all completed and assented to by president Dr John Magufuli.