The 2/3 gender Bill is not here. Women have to wait a little bit longer for their dream to come true.
Women MPs yesterday accused the National Assembly leadership of deliberately frustrating efforts to pass the two-thirds gender Bill after it failed for the fourth time.
The cited what they termed ‘deeply entrenched male chauvinism’ in Parliament and demanded dissolution of the House.
The amendment to the Constitution Bill flopped after the House failed to raise the requisite quorum for a vote be taken.
There were only 174 members in the Chamber, 59 members shy of the 233 required or two-thirds for a vote to be taken.
The agitated legislators stormed out of the chamber chanting, “No Gender Bill, No referendum.” They were led by Kenya Women Parliamentary Association chairperson Purity Ngirici.
“We are extremely disappointed as women MPs. We have the true colours and what has been cooking for us for all this time. It was clear from the beginning that the majority leader and the government were not committed,” Ngirici said.
“We have seen the intention of the government and we are saying there will be no referendum until we honour what the Constitution requires,” she added.
Homa Town MP Peter Kaluma and Chepalungu’s Gideon Koskei also stormed out of the chamber in solidarity with their female counterparts..
“We have lost not because of insufficient lobbying, but deeply entrenched male chauvinism in Parliament’s leadership,” Kaluma said.
Kandara MP Alice Wahome said the failure to marshal the requisite members for a vote to be taken, demonstrated the government’s lack of commitment to having it passed.
“We did not see the kind of commitment and lobbying that we saw when the Fuel Tax bill was brought or other government Bills are tabled,” Wahome said.