This emerged on Wednesday during the Constitutional Amendment Bill popularly known as the Gender BIll. Despite massive lobbying by the party bosses for their MPs to turn up and pass the bill, 137 members out of the 349 kept away the House.
This so the bill stood down in a tactical move to save it from imminent failure. The Leader of Majority Aden Duale, the mover of the Bill, requested the Speaker to stood down the bill until February next year. This is because the constitutional bill required at least 233 members who would support it.
Despite the massive lobbying by the party bosses and women parliamentarians, a good number of MPs openly or secretly opposed the bill lamenting it will be a loophole for party bosses to reward their mistresses. Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, who has been openly opposing the bill, argues that if at one point no member of any gender is elected in parliament, the house will have to receive 87 nominated members.
This will balloon the house which is already congested. Molo MP Kuria Kimani said he was against the Bill as Kenyans have shown they are ready to elect women leaders. He gave an example of Nakuru where Senator Susan Kihika floored men in the senate race as well as Gilgil MP Martha Wangari and Njoro’s Charity Kathambi.
