The 2/3 Gender bill is the talk of town right now. The bill was yesterday presented by Majority leader Aden Duale with the bill eliciting various reactions from the members of Parliament.
If the proceedings witnessed yesterday are anything to go by, it might be right to say that the bill is certainly going no where and that majority of Members of Parliament will vote against it.
Members of Parliament Tuesday began debating the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill which, if passed, will allow for the nomination of more women to the House to comply with the two-thirds gender rule, amid opposition from some members.
The Bill, popularly referred to as the Two-thirds Gender Rule, provides that not more than two thirds of the members in appointive and elective public bodies, among them Parliament, should be of the same gender.
It seeks to amend Article 97 of the Constitution to create special seats for women, which will be filled by political parties depending on their parliamentary strength.
The Bill that seeks to actualise Article 81(b) of the Constitution could cost the country about Sh60 million in monthly salaries and allowances for the additional MPs.
Article 81(b) stresses the need to comply with the two-thirds gender rule in public bodies.
Moving the Bill, Majority Leader Aden Duale urged his colleagues to pass it to avoid the prospect of a petition to have Parliament dissolved if it fails.
The Constitution provides that anybody can seek Parliament’s dissolution if it fails to enact a relevant law within the required time.
“Today is a historic day for the 12th Parliament. Let us vote for this Bill because the only persons who carried us for nine months are our mothers,” Mr Duale said.
“Every man sitting here has a special place for our mothers, our sisters and daughters,” he added.
Duale’s fears have been confirmed by seasoned political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi who has said that Parliament is on the brink of being dissolved by Chief Justice David Maraga should the 2/3 geneder bill fail to sail through the floor of the house.
Mutahi has asked members of Parliament to be very afraid due to CJ Maraga’s past decisions in such grave matters.
“If the GENDER BILL does not pass, Article 261 of the constitution gives POWERS to Maraga to DISSOLVE Parliament. Given his HISTORY, Maraga WILL DISSOLVE Parliament. MPs should be AFRAID. Very AFRAID,” tweeted Mutahi Ngunyi.
If the GENDER BILL does not pass, Article 261 of the constitution gives POWERS to Maraga to DISSOLVE Parliament. Given his HISTORY, Maraga WILL DISSOLVE Parliament. MPs should be AFRAID. Very AFRAID. https://t.co/VrAiSCGNdS #GenderBill
— Mutahi Ngunyi (@MutahiNgunyi) November 21, 2018
Parliament has a deficit of 42 women, since only 75 were elected or nominated against a gender parity of 117. The Senate, with 19 women, needs four more to bridge the gap.
Women are among the groups marginalised politically, and the gender rule is required to mentor and give them the experience to compete effectively with men.
Will you support calls to dissolve Parliament should the 2/3 gender bill fail?