Uhuru help sought on gender Bill

Kenya Women Parliamentarians Association Chairperson Cecily Mbarire and other lawmakers address journalists at Parliament Buildings on May 5, 2015. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • They criticised Mr Chepkong’a for picking an option that was not among the suggestions made by a task force seeking to help implement the constitutional requirement.
  • Ms Nyokabi said when the committee met the technical working group in Mombasa recently, the proposal to have the principle implemented progressively or postponed were not on the table.
  • Centre for Rights of Education and Awareness through lawyers Judy Thongori and Wangeci Wahome, claimed that on December 11, 2012, the Supreme Court directed Parliament to make this happen by August 27.

Women MPs will be banking on President Uhuru Kenyatta in their bid to force Parliament to drop the Bill on gender parity.

At a press conference yesterday, they demanded that a Bill to amend the Constitution be withdrawn.

The Bill was introduced in the House last week by Justice committee chairman Samuel Chepkong’a .

They criticised Mr Chepkong’a for picking an option that was not among the suggestions made by a task force seeking to help implement the constitutional requirement.

The Constitution requires that not more than two thirds of elective posts in the country be made up of one gender.

“We demand that the Bill be withdrawn and replaced it with another one that has been discussed by the task force,” legal affairs Vice-Chairperson Priscilla Nyokabi said.

“We are requesting the President and his deputy to whip their members in Parliament to drop the Bill,” committee member Fatuma Ibrahim Ali (Wajir County) said.

Mr Chepkong’a could not be reached by phone.

Ms Nyokabi said when the committee met the technical working group in Mombasa recently, the proposal to have the principle implemented progressively or postponed were not on the table.

She said the options considered included coming up with ways to ensure parties obey the gender rule. There was a proposal to pair the 290 constituencies so that every two elect one woman, creating 145 Woman Representatives’ seats.

Women MPs will be meeting during the week to come up with an alternative Bill.

Speaking under the banner of their Kenya Women Parliamentarians Association, the representatives said they would organise a one-million women march to Parliament to demand the withdrawal of the Bill.

The proposal is to change the law and shelve the deadline to implement gender parity in the House.

The association chairman Cecily Mbarire said Mr Chepkong’a ignored the recommendations of the technical working group involving the Attorney- General, the Gender Commission and other groups.

Judith Sijeny (Nominated Senator, Wiper) said the Senate’s Legal Affairs Committee had not been consulted on the matter.

Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay, ODM) said women’s submissions to the committee were ignored.

Elsewhere, a women’s lobby yesterday moved to the High Court to challenge Parliament’s failure to enact the two thirds gender rule.

Centre for Rights of Education and Awareness through lawyers Judy Thongori and Wangeci Wahome, claimed that on December 11, 2012, the Supreme Court directed Parliament to make this happen by August 27.

The lobby sued the AG and the Commission on the Implementation of the Constitution.

Chief Executive Officer Anne Njogu said it was a fundamental freedom in the Bill of Rights which has been denied. Justice Mumbi Ngugi set an inter-party hearing on May 8 and directed the sued parties to respond.

Additional reporting by Maureen Kakah