MPs want electoral areas cut to meet gender rule

What you need to know:

  • They want wards reduced from 1,450 to 725. Each ward will then be required to elect a man and a woman in an election. This will ensure we have the same number of women MCAs as their male counterparts.
  • When this happens, the MPs say nomination of women to meet the gender rule will no longer be necessary and will therefore be abolished.
    “The national and county assemblies will only need to nominate those to represent special groups,” said Mr Neto.
  • The Houses have until August 27 to amend the Constitution to meet the provision that not more than two thirds of appointments are from one gender.

A section of MPs now say the solution to implementing the two-thirds gender rule lies in the reduction of constituencies and wards.

The 16 MPs, working under the Kenya Parliamentary Human Rights Association (Kephara), have drafted two Bills they say will solve the issue ahead of the August 27 deadline.

They want wards reduced from 1,450 to 725. Each ward will then be required to elect a man and a woman in an election. This will ensure we have the same number of women MCAs as their male counterparts.

Counties have been forced to nominate 600 women MCAs to meet the gender rule. Kenya has a total of 2,200 MCAs.

The MPs, from both sides of the House, also want constituencies reduced from 290 back to 210. Each county will then elect two woman representatives to increase the number of elected female legislators to 94, to bring to 304, the total number of elected MPs.

The Bills will also seek to have counties elect two senators each, one from either gender.

When this happens, the MPs say nomination of women to meet the gender rule will no longer be necessary and will therefore be abolished.
“The national and county assemblies will only need to nominate those to represent special groups,” said Mr Neto.

In another Bill through popular initiative, the lobby wants each county to elect one woman and man to the Senate.

Ndhiwa MP Agostinho Neto who is leading the campaign yesterday told the Nation: “We are ready with the Bills and we hope by August 27, the two Houses will have give an okay to either of them.”

“We hope our proposals will unlock the gender headache currently facing the Senate and the National Assembly,” he said.

AMEND THE CONSTITUTION

The Houses have until August 27 to amend the Constitution to meet the provision that not more than two thirds of appointments are from one gender.

“By failing to meet the deadline, will not only be violating the Constitution, we will also be disobeying the ruling of the Supreme Court on the matter,” National Gender and Equality Commission chairperson Winfred Lichuma told a conference on devolution last month.

AG Githu Muigai wants MPs to extend by one year the deadline for legislation to implement the one-third gender rule. “The varied viewpoints raised are a clear confirmation that enactment of legislation to give effect to the two third gender rule requires more time,” he said May 14

The MPs seeks to amend articles 89 (on number of constituencies), 90 (on nominations), 97 (on composition of National Assembly), 98 (composition of Senate) and 177 (on number of county assemblies).

Also in the second Bill, the group proposes that two adjacent constituencies elect one woman representative. This would bring the number of women in the National Assembly to 136.

Meanwhile, Mr Neto said they will also mobilise MCAs to push for the realisation of the gender rule. Kephra has launched a campaign dubbed, ‘the Green Amendment Campaign’ to push for the changes.

“We will meet the County Assemblies Forum by Friday this week. We will then meet all MCAs by June 15,” said Mr Neto. They hopes to have completed the process by August 15.

ra said it has observed Parliament’s reluctant conduct to help realise the constitutional two-third gender rule principle through its legislative process despite the fact that the constitutional time line of August 27 is fast approaching.