Lawmakers yesterday continued to rally their colleagues to support the two-thirds gender Bill.
National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale and his Minority counterpart John Mbadi pleaded with MPs to pass the Bill that seeks to meet the threshold and have more women in both the Senate and the National Assembly.
The Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2018, sponsored by Duale (Garissa Township) seeks to ensure at least one-third of the MPs in the next House are women.
Justice John Mativo, in March last year, ruled that anyone can write to the Chief Justice to move with speed and advise President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve Parliament should the MPs fail to enact the legislation.
Yesterday, Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa told his colleagues that the House risked being dissolved if they fail to vote in support of the gender rule.
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“This matter was in the last Parliament but we did not pass it. This matter is not about women but this country and our Constitution,” said Wamalwa.
MPs James Nyikal (Seme), Godfrey Osotsi (nominated), Woman Representatives Tecla Tum (Nandi), Faith Gitau (Nyandarua) and Beatrice Nkatha (Tharaka Nithi) threw their weight behind the Bill.
The second reading of the Bill was, however, received with mixed reaction in what could see it flop again since it will require the backing of at least 233 MPs.
Some MPs yesterday declared their reservation to the Bill, claiming that nominations were being used by some party leaders to pick “slay queens and girlfriends”.
But Duale urged the MPs to support the Bill as he dismissed fears that having more women in the House would increase the country wage bill.
President Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and Opposition leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka have all rallied their MPs to support the Bill.
