Draft laws give women big boost

• Sweeping proposals to promote gender equality and tackle discrimination in elective bodies and public institutions
• If the draft constitution is adopted, women stand to be among the biggest beneficiaries. It guarantees them more Parliamentary seats and a bigger role in county governance

“All along we have been fighting issues like land subdivision; now we want both sons and daughters to inherit land from their fathers. If a woman gets married to someone owning land, can’t the parcel be counted as hers, too?” he said.

Former assistant minister Kalembe Ndile told the Sunday Nation that although he supports including women in national matters, finding the right women for the right positions may be harder than many Kenyans think.

“How many women will want to stand up and be counted. It is a good proposal that needs time to sink into the psychology of Kenyans. Current issues may prove too hard to handle for many women,” said the former Kibwezi MP. Such a proposal already exists in the Political Parties Act.

Nominated Member of Parliament George Nyamweya said in the long run, affirmative action is what the country needs to ensure political participation of all citizens but in a manner that would not create new exclusions in society.

“It is in bad taste to create special regions for women candidates. Such a provision will only cause more separation of the women from society instead of integrating them,” said the PNU-nominated MP.

Additional reporting by Carol Wafula