President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga have called their MPs to urgent meetings as Parliament prepares to vote on the gender bill.
The push is aimed at securing the numbers needed to amend Article 97 of the Constitution and create more nomination slots for women. Jubilee has 140 MPs and ODM has 62, making the two parties central to the outcome.
The vote was expected the following Wednesday in 2018, and the bill needed support from 233 of the 349 members of the National Assembly to pass the constitutional threshold. If approved and later assented to by the President, it would take effect after the 2022 General Election.
Some lawmakers had already signaled opposition, while others stayed away from the debate. Critics argued that the proposal would open the door for party insiders and so-called “slay queens” to benefit from nominations, while supporters said it was necessary to address women’s exclusion from Parliament.
Jubilee and ODM planned Parliamentary Group meetings on Tuesday to whip their members into attendance and secure backing for the amendment. Kenya Women Parliamentarians Association chairperson Wangui Ngirici said she expected quorum to be reached and said party leaders had committed to holding meetings on the issue.
“I can assure you that we will achieve the quorum on that day. I can feel it,” the Kirinyaga Woman Representative said. She added that the President had taken an oath to protect the Constitution and would do so on the matter.
Raila said Parliament had repeatedly violated women’s rights by denying them more seats. He said the bill was meant to advance equality and freedom from discrimination as set out in the 2010 Constitution.
Musalia Mudavadi and Kalonzo Musyoka also backed the proposal, saying its benefits outweighed the cost. Kalonzo warned that Parliament risked failing to meet the two-thirds gender rule.
ODM chairman John Mbadi and Ford Kenya secretary general Simiyu Eseli said their parties would hold separate meetings to persuade members to vote for the bill. Eseli’s remarks were taken as the clearest sign that Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula supported the proposal.
Rachel Shebesh, the Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs, was present in Parliament during the debate, and her presence was widely read as a sign of Uhuru’s interest in seeing the bill passed.
The House debate exposed sharp divisions. Endebess MP Robert Pukose said the country would face a heavy financial burden if representation was expanded. Nominated MP David Ole Sankok argued that the extra slots would mainly benefit people close to party leadership.
Other MPs, including Esther Passaris, Alice Wahome, Sabina Chege, Janet Ong’era and Faith Gitau, defended the bill. Wahome said Parliament had already been given time to act after the Supreme Court’s 2016 ruling, but no legislation had been enacted.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa rejected the proposal, saying it lacked a clear method for selecting the women who would fill the additional slots. He said women at the grassroots would be locked out and accused party leaders of using nominations to bring in “slay queens.”
Nominated MP Jennifer Shamalla also questioned how the representation would be achieved. She said the legislature was already bloated and objected to the dehumanization of MPs through labels such as “MPigs” and “Slay queens.”
At the time, the National Assembly had 76 women members: 23 elected MPs, 47 women representatives and six nominated MPs. The Senate had 21 women senators, including 19 nominated and three elected members.
Key figures in the gender bill debate ¶
- Jubilee MPs: 140
- ODM MPs: 62
- National Assembly membership: 349
- Votes needed: 233
- Current women nominees in the National Assembly: 12
- Additional women nomination slots proposed: 21
