Women MPs fault parties' lists

• Only two of the 168 registered parties have women as their national chairperson.

Women Members of Parliament have urged the registrar of political parties to reject lists of party officials that do not comply with the Political Parties Act.

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The MPs led by Co-operative Development Assistant minister Jelimo Kilimo condemned political parties for holding national elections and ignoring affirmative action.

The 22 MPs said most parties did not comply with the 30 per cent rule, which provides for a third of party leaders must be from either gender, in the Political Parties Act during their recent national polls.

They accused the three major parties PNU, ODM and ODM-K of ignoring their pledge last year during campaigns when they announced they would promote affirmative action.

So far, only two of the 168 registered parties by the registrar of societies have women as their national chairperson.

They are Narc Kenya represented by Justice and Constitutional affairs minister, Ms Martha Karua and her Water Development counterpart Mrs Charity Ngilu, who heads Narc.

Narc-K is an affiliate of PNU while Narc is affiliated to ODM.

Speaking as the chairperson of the Kenya Womens’ Parliamentary Association, the Marakwet East MP described the party polls as a sham saying most of the officials were selected and not elected as required by the Act.

She was addressing a press conference at The Stanley in Nairobi. She was flanked by Sotik MP Ms Joyce Laboso, Mrs Beatrice Kones (Bomet) and Nominated MP Ms Sofia Noor.

Ms Kilimo, who is a Kenda MP, regretted that despite women constituting 52 per cent of the 35 million Kenyans, they were poorly represented in the recent party polls.

“We are very disappointed by the way the political parties have mistreated us during the just concluded party polls and appeal to the registrar of political parties to come to our rescue,” the Assistant minister said.

Ms Laboso accused her party ODM of favouring men by allowing them to lobby in advance and have their names on a special list, while the women were ambushed at the eleventh hour and asked to declare their interest from the floor.