Raila Odinga (right) with Kalonzo Musyoka at a past function. FILE PHOTO | NMG
What you need to know:
Passage of the Bill could see taxpayers cough Sh300 million more monthly in salaries and allowances.
Opposition leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka Monday rallied their troops in the National Assembly to vote for a proposed amendment to the Constitution to have more women nominated to Parliament.
Mr Odinga in statement said Parliament in the past has been found to have violated the rights of women by refusing to enact legislation to enforce the constitutional principle that not more than two thirds of its members should be of the same gender.
The Bill proposes special nomination seats for women to be shared among political parties depending on their strength in Parliament.
Passage of the Bill could see the country pay about Sh300 million more monthly in salaries and allowances to the nominated women MPs based on the current gender structure of Parliament.
“The Bill being tabled tomorrow is meant to help the country realise the right to equality, and freedom from discrimination for women as stipulated in the 2010 Constitution,” Mr Odinga said.
Mr Musyoka appealed to male MPs not to walk out during debate of the Bill this afternoon, arguing that it will help meet demands of the Constitution and boost the marginalised
The affirmative action is required to bridge the gender disparity in both appointive and elective public bodies.
Article 81 (b) provides that not more than two thirds of members of elective public bodies, among them Parliament, shall be of the same gender. Currently, the National Assembly has 75 women MPs, 22 elected from the 290 constituencies in the last election, six nominated in the 12 nomination slots while 47 were elected in counties in the spirit of affirmative action.
The Senate has three elected women and 18 nominated.
In order to meet the two-thirds threshold, 22 female MPs are required in the National Assembly and only two in the Senate based on the current numbers.
If adopted, the new law will take affect after the 2022 General Election. Institute of Economic Affairs chief executive Kwame Owino said Kenya will require an additional 1.5 per cent of Parliament’s budget of about Sh30 billion or Sh305 million to meet the women’s law.
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