Women's rights group faults Ruto for few women slots in cabinet

Community Advocacy and Awareness (CRAWN) Trust, Executive Director Daisy Amdany. [David Gichuru,Standard]

President William Ruto has been faulted for failing to appoint more women in his cabinet.

Women advocates who met in Nairobi on Friday, during a breakfast meeting called for more inclusivity of women in government matters.

They said the new cabinet lacks proper gender balance.

Daisy Amdani, member of the African Women and Child Feature Service, called out the government for failing to implement the two-thirds gender principle a crucial constitutional requirement.

Speaking to media editors and journalists, Amdani expressed disappointment over the continued lack of progress despite repeated political promises.

“We should have a political class that abides by the rule of law, they do not serve their interests; they serve the interests of the people,” Amdani said.

This comes days after the president had on July 11, fired his whole cabinet save for Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, following public pressures.

The head of state later nominated 21 individuals to make up his new Cabinet.

Among the 21, only eight have been nominated to serve Kenyans in their respective which she says was not enough especially

Nominated female cabinet secretaries include Tourism and Wildlife, Rebecca Miano, and Stella Soi Langa't, for Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage.

Debra Mulongo Barasa, for Ministry of Health, - Soipan Tuya for Defence and Alice Wahome for Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development.

Ruto also nominated Dr Margaret Ndungu for Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy, Dorcas Oduor as Attorney General and Beatrice Askul Moe for East African Community and ASAL.

Additionally, she questioned the criteria used by Azimio's former head party Raila Odinga to nominate the four to fill the rest of the offices remaining wondering why no woman was included.

According to her the two-thirds gender principle, enshrined in Kenya's constitution, mandates that no more than two-thirds of any elective or appointive positions should be of the same gender.

This provision aims to increase women's representation in leadership roles across the country.

Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) president Zubeida Kananu, said Ruto's promised a 50-50 gender split in his cabinet, which remains unfulfilled.

She also pointed out that the President had committed to putting necessary legislation in place within his first year in office, a promise that is yet to materialize.

KEG president cited the recent NADCO (National Dialogue Committee) report, which acknowledged the multi-sectoral working group's mandate but has since been used as an excuse to delay further action.

“The government of using technicalities to avoid accountability but these are just arguments that they bring to escape accountability, But the thing is, they cannot escape accountability,” Kananu said.

She stated they have taken proactive steps, including writing to the Speaker of Parliament regarding the vetting of cabinet nominees but they argue that the current composition violates the two-thirds gender principle.

“If the rule of law matters, then the not more than two-thirds gender principle matters, If the not more than two-thirds gender principle does not matter, then the rule of law does not matter,” she added.