Two third gender rule – why the hullabaloo?

Kenya: Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi sparked a storm when he suggested change or reforms in the way women would be allocated seats in the August house. Judging from the reports in the media and the numerous debates, the substance was lost long time ago. Part of it has been due to mistrust of the person owning the idea owing to his handling of the August house since Jubilee came to power. I think Muturi had a substantial issue that needs an informed and balanced debate.

I have seen so much in the social media that women should not be given special political treatment and so and so forth. A look at Kenya’s and generally African political landscape, women are generally disadvantaged. This comes from cultures and the ugly nature of our political environment. There has been an argument that the performance of women legislators and that of county women representatives has generally been wanting. But a look at the current parliament, the nature of Kenya’s politics (tribal over issues) and the dispensation that brought us where we are, I think it would be generally unfair to condemn the women.

In Kenya, toeing the party and regional lines no matter how unreasonable it would be on some issues, reigns supreme over self-consciousness, national good or forward looking. That is the reason why you see a lot of myopic political postures and behavior. That is the same reason why bad and unconstitutional laws can still pass in parliament.

A little study of Kenya’s political history to current will reveal that though we have come a long way, we still have a very fragile democracy especially encumbered by the culture of exploiting tribes and endemic poverty. In many cases, leaders like shrewd marketers appeal to deep emotions and also buy power.

Therefore, to expect women leaders perform differently in the current dispensation could be  un-realistic. This is in the African context where the male child has been placed on the podium over the female in the food chain. That is why family properties and inheritance is still a big headache even in elite families in countries like Kenya. A little recall will tell you that part of the reasons why the 2005 referendum was lost by the Kibaki led wing of the coalition had to do with missteps in crafting the law. Some of these were on property inheritance such as land and other messy nuances to do with devolution of the teacher’s recruitment and management – quite unacceptable to the teaching fraternity.

The new constitution has been a bit kind to women as they have inheritance rights and safeguards in sharing of positions may it be in politics or government. The two third gender rule must remain. I think the only bit is to strengthen it through built in mechanisms such as funding some participatory programmes and structures. We must wake up to the 21st modernizing reality. You can’t ignore anybody and you have to embrace diversity. But the women also need to raise their game a bit. The public concerns in their law-making and developmental matters participation are not entirely unfounded. The view generally is that women are also their worst enemies. They need to change the perception.