This archive report was first published on 8 October 2019.
On October 8, 2019, Nairobi County Assembly members unanimously rejected the Punguza Mizigo Bill, terming it 'unrealistic, retrogressive and aimed at eroding gains by the 2010 Constitution.'
The assembly members, over 80 in number, argued that passing the Bill would be a betrayal to the people who opposed the initiative during the public participation exercise.
Majority leader Abdi Guyo moved the motion, stating that the Bill would be a big blow to the gains made by the two-thirds gender rule and would lock out the youth and people with disability.
'It is not realistic to have only two representatives in counties such as Nairobi yet the county has over four million people,' said Mr Guyo.
Other members, including Mugumoini Ward MCA Jared Akama, expressed similar concerns, stating that the initiative would lead to marginalization of smaller communities and set the people against their leaders.
According to the assembly's Justice and Legal Affairs committee, Nairobi residents opposed the initiative's proposal of two representatives (one male and one female) and using the 47 counties as a single constituency for the purposes of parliamentary election to Senate and National Assembly.
