Raila warns over one-third gender rule

Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) leader Raila Odinga has given the Government an ultimatum to fully implement the one-third gender rule in the National Assembly by August or face mass action.

Raila said he will write to President Uhuru Kenyatta this week to seek his opinion over the matter so as to quell the anxiety of women leadership over the Government's position in the implementation of the law.

If the Government fails to offer solution, Raila said the CORD leadership will mobilise Kenyans to stand against what he termed a scheme by the Jubilee government to mutilate a constitution which Kenyans fought for. Raila's pronouncement came as a relief to women leaders who had sought his intervention over a bill that they say is aimed at eroding the gains of gender equality in the country.

Raila noted that women faced many cultural challenges in their bid to secure elective positions and the affirmative action provided for in the Constitution would be a positive move towards bringing more women to leadership.

"We will go to the streets and defend women rights. Women are getting rejected in every place they vie for elective positions. Where they get married, the people say they cannot vote a stranger and when they go back to where they were born the people say they should vie for positions where they are married," said Raila.

He added, "Whoever says that the issues of women should be left out, makes a stupid decision. Women should be respected."

Women MPs have been on warpath over plans by some of their male counterparts in the National Assembly to indefinitely suspend the implementation of a law which would give women more slots in Parliament.

Voter registration

Raila was speaking at his Opoda farm in Bondo, Siaya County on Saturday night when he and his wife Ida hosted over 500 CORD women leaders from 30 counties. The CORD leader also used the forum to consolidate women support ahead of his 2017 presidential bid. The women vowed to mobilise support for the ODM party leader with massive campaigns for voter registration.

"We must remain united if we have to achieve the party goals in 2017. Women in the leadership position must use the positions to amass support for the party and not to intimidate other women," said Beth Syengo, the Orange Women Democrats Chairlady.

In response to the women's promise for 2017 support, Raila asked CORD supporters to arm themselves with electoral tools, which he said had cost their quest for State House.

"We must now begin a strong campaign to compel our youths to obtain National Identity cards. We will get there if we register as voters in abundance, and if you are really an 'Agwambo' supporter then you will take this seriously,” said Raila.

Homa Bay County Women representative Gladys Wanga, Denitah Ghati (Migori), Siaya governor's wife Rosella Rasanga and Ms Syengo, who were the main organisers of the forum expressed their support for women representation.

"We are here to show solidarity with Mama Ida Odinga and assure her that we are always together in this war. Women have common challenges and this is the time to unite even as we prepare to usher our leader to State House in 2017," said Ms Wanga.

"We in Migori stand by Raila because he champions women agenda in his leadership and we will not sit back and watch people mutilate the Constitution just because of male chauvinism," said Ms Ghati.

"As the first lady in this county, I call upon all Siaya women to gang up with other women across the country to make this journey a success, for women to have their rightful positions alongside elective posts, since they have long been sidelined," said Mrs Rasanga.