National Assembly majority leader Aden Duale in Parliament on June 15 [PHOTO/the-star.co.ke]

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The controversial Jubilee-sponsored election laws will this Friday become operational with or without President Uhuru Kenyatta signing them.

Criticised both locally and internationally, the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2017, will automatically come into effect this week after attaining the constitutionally required 14-day application period which does not make it mandatory for the president to sign beforehand.

The Bill was forwarded to President Kenyatta on October 13 from National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi after it was passed and endorsed by the Senate without making any changes.

However, the opposition and political commentators have been wondering why the president was taking too long to assent to the Bill which his Jubilee legislators in both Houses rushed to pass with the objective of sealing loopholes in the existing electoral laws ahead of October 26.

The Constitution demands that the President signs the Bill within 14 days then immediately gazette it.

But should he fail to sign within this period, the controversial laws automatically come into operation.

The president has insisted that he needs time to study the Bill and that he will sign at the appropriate time.