MPs challenge leaders on gender bill :: Kenya

The deputies yesterday challenged President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga, and failed to stand in the National Assembly for a crucial vote on the draft law. gender equality.

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Despite pbadionate calls from leaders of their respective parties to support the bill, 137 of 349 MPs have stood aside from the House, posing a technical problem to legislation to increase the number of women MPs at a time in the National Assembly and Parliament. Senate.

Refusing the number of votes required to require a vote, the House quickly made a tactical retreat and blocked the bill on the amendment of the Constitution before submitting it to a countdown, saving it from a imminent failure.

The bill required the presence, at a minimum, of two-thirds of the 349 legislators – at least 233 deputies – to be put to the vote. To get to the committee, all these legislators were required to vote in support of it.

But by the time the bill was called, and the leader of the majority, Aden Duale, called for an answer, which marks the end of the debate, there were only 212 members in the House, which prompted him to request the suspension of the work. until February of next year. Members will take a break for the Christmas holidays next week.

Proponents of the bill, including women parliamentarians, increased their lobbying activities, including forcing their male counterparts to stick a white emblem on their jackets to show their solidarity.

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But as expected, it has been difficult to put the figures together in the House. While those present were obviously more than those who attended regular daily sessions, increasing the number required for a constitutional amendment was too difficult to achieve, prompting a quick response.

The presence of Mr. Raila and his co-director, Kalonzo Musyoka, in the chamber gallery, as well as the pressure exerted by Uhuru and his deputy, William Ruto, were not enough to convince the deputies, some openly voicing their reservations the bill.

The House Affairs Committee, which plans the work of the House and is chaired by President Justin Muturi, had predicted that the House might not increase the numbers. The committee therefore accepted that Duale postpone the vote if it appeared that the threshold would not be reached, if only to preserve the bill.

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"If we try to vote, and after counting the members present, I regret that we risk losing the bill. The rocket science does not have to tell us that we do not have the 233 members, "said Duale, calling for the case to be postponed.

The Garissa MP cautioned lawmakers about the consequences of losing the bill after the vote, saying it would require a re-issue, which can only be done at the next session, and with Strict requirements of a constitutional bill, he could only do it in the House in June of next year, at the earliest.

By postponing the vote, MPs have the opportunity to vote in February.

Uhuru, Raila, Kalonzo and even the ANC chief, Musalia Mudavadi, all lobbied MPs to support the bill after two unsuccessful attempts in the last legislature.

The women's legislators, under the umbrella of the Kenya Women's Parliamentary Association, also stepped up their lobbying activities for the bill to increase the number of women in the legislature. 22 additional members to bridge the gender gap and ensure at least one-third of male-dominated MPs are women.

"We had agreed (in the House Affairs Committee) to take stock of the number of people present and, as we do not meet the threshold, we had better postpone it," said the head of the House of Commons. minority, John Mbadi.

The women parliamentarians who spoke supported the decision to close the bill, saying it would give them more time to strengthen their lobbying activities.

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"We are optimistic for the month of February. Our male colleagues will come home happier after spending the Christmas holidays with their wives, daughters and mothers, and they will support this bill, "said Sabina Chege, women's representative in Murang'a.

Leshoomo House (Samburu), Denittah Ghati (Migori), Esther Pbadaris (Nairobi), Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay) and Alice Wahome of Kandara also supported the decision. Earlier, Ida Odinga, Raila's wife, had urged Parliament to pbad the gender equality bill to "make a difference in our lives."