Leaders oppose attempts to scrap women’s seats

By ANTONY GITONGA

Kenya: Leaders have opposed attempts to amend the law to reduce the number of women representation in Parliament and in county assemblies.

Senate Speaker Ekwe Ethuro admitted that the country was agonising over how to achieve the two-third gender rule by 2015, but said women’s rights must be protected.

Ethuro said the Constitution should be respected in terms of gender balance and promised Members of County Assemblies that women’s seats would be protected.

Speaking in Naivasha during a day’s devolution and women leadership conference attended by women MCAs from across the country, Nominated Senator Elizabeth Ongoro expressed concern that women were yet to gain the one-third representation at national level.

She said women leaders were committed to making sure that the two-third gender rule was achieved by 2015.

“We are challenging governors to facilitate women MCAs in registering their caucus so that we can have a common front,” she said.

Gender Commission Chairperson Winnie Lichuma lauded the Government’s commitment in supporting women.

“The President has been in the forefront in supporting women issues and I’m sure he shall reject the move to reduce the number of women seats,” she said.

Council of Governors Chairman Isaac Ruto, supported the women, saying MPs did not have powers to reduce women’s seats.

Ruto in his speech hit out at legislators, noting that they were not supreme and that the issue of high wage would not be addressed by scraping the positions.

“The council is fully behind the women and those planning to scrap the seats are daydreamers who belong to the past,” he said.

On county funding, Ruto reignited his war with the central government, noting that the Sh226 billion allocated to counties was peanuts.

“The planned budget is for Sh1.7 trillion and there is nothing to smile about when the government allocates Sh226 billion to counties,” he said.

He revisited the drought that has hit parts of the country, including Baringo and Turkana, saying the State was fully to blame.

“It’s shameful to see Kenyans dying of hunger in Baringo when food is going to waste in Nakuru and Laikipia counties,” he noted.