Submit views on Terror Bill, House urges public

• The Committee on Administration and National Security chaired by Mt Elgon MP Fred Kapondi is scrutinising the Bill, whose clauses have elicited strong opposition from sections of the Muslim community.
• The Terrorism Bill which is lined up for debate next week contains stiffer penalties among them life imprisonment for convicted terror suspects. Police have also been granted power to intercept communication where they suspect terrorist activities.
• Section 36 (3)of the Bill reads that A court may, in determining application make an order requiring a communications service provider to intercept and retain specified communication of a specified description received or transmitted, or about to be received or transmitted by that communications service provider
• The court may also make an order authorising a police officer to enter any premises and to install on such premises any device for interception and retention of a specified communication to remove and retain such premises. The Bill also grants police the power to seize property used in commission of terrorism.

Parliament has invited Kenyans to submit views on the Prevention of Terrorism Bill, 2012, by the close of business on Tuesday.

The Committee on Administration and National Security chaired by Mt Elgon MP Fred Kapondi is scrutinising the Bill, whose clauses have elicited strong opposition from sections of the Muslim community.

“The committee invites interested groups and members of the public to submit any representations that they may have on the proposed legislation on or before Tuesday September 4, 2012 at 5 pm,” said the clerk of the assembly Patrick Gichohi in a newspaper advert on Sunday.

The Terrorism Bill which is lined up for debate next week contains stiffer penalties among them life imprisonment for convicted terror suspects. Police have also been granted power to intercept communication where they suspect terrorist activities.

“A court may, in determining application make an order requiring a communications service provider to intercept and retain specified communication of a specified description received or transmitted, or about to be received or transmitted by that communications service provider,” reads section 36 (3)of the Bill.

The court may also make an order authorising a police officer to enter any premises and to install on such premises any device for interception and retention of a specified communication to remove and retain such premises.

The Bill also grants police the power to seize property used in commission of terrorism.

‘‘The Inspector-General may, where he has reasonable grounds to suspect that any property has been, or is being used for the purposes of committing an offence under this Act, seize that property,” Clause 37 of the Bill states.

Muslim leaders have been pushing for the amendments of the clauses including the definition of terrorism as outlined in the Bill to ensure security forces do not harass citizens in the name of fighting terror.