Gender Minister Naomi Shaban resigns

Gender Minister Naomi Shaban has stepped down from the Cabinet ahead of Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly.

Ms Shaban, who has served in the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development since August 2010, said she handed in her letter of resignation to President Mwai Kibaki on Tuesday.

“Since I have been given a third term by the people of Taita Taveta constituency, I have just written to the President to tender my resignation pending my swearing-in on Thursday as a Member of Parliament,” Ms Shaban said while addressing the press at the Ministry offices in Nairobi.

She took the opportunity to thank her team for the gains the ministry had achieved during her tenure.

“We have made social development a very big issue in this country and that has seen us do money transfers across the country. And I know for sure that the Jubilee government is going to scale it up, because that is part of our manifesto,” Ms Shaban said.

She also mentioned the improvement of employment of women and finance options made available to them.

“I want specifically that the President who gave a directive back in 2006 that a third of slots in civil service must the given to women. This is a bold and deliberate move to sure that women participate in the development of this country,” Ms Shaban said.

The other initiative she lauded was the Women’s Enterprise Fund which was launched in 2007. She said the fund offers women loans which do not attract a lot of interest and it has helped empower women.

Ms Shaban’s move to leave office came days after President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta asked all ministers and assistant ministers under the Jubilee Coalition, elected to Parliament and county assemblies to resign.

Earlier, President Kibaki had ordered all ministers who clinched elective positions following the March 4 General Election to leave ministerial positions, a move that was countered by Prime Minister Raila Odinga who termed the order as “unconstitutional.”

Mr Odinga argued that the President had assumed a caretaker role and did not have the powers to appoint of dismiss government officials.

Ms Shaban said her decision was guided by Section 152(3) of the Constitution which states that: “a Cabinet Secretary shall not be a Member of Parliament.”