The 69 female legislators are fighting to ensure that a good number among them are elected to chair some of the House committees that will be constituted once Parliament reconvenes next week.
They want to ensure the one third-gender rule is observed in the composition of Parliament’s committee system.
Yesterday, they made it clear to the 349-member National Assembly that they will not sit back and let their male colleagues dominate the leadership of the committees.
Nairobi County women representative Rachael Shebesh sparked the debate in the plenary session of the ongoing induction workshop for new MPs, saying the House leadership must reflect constitutional provisions on gender equality.
She said the 11th Parliament should be progressive in implementing the one-third gender rule and not frustrate its implementation.
She pleaded with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Justin Muturi, and the Clerk, Mr Justin Bundi, to consider making deliberate efforts to ensure the composition of committees reflects the one third affirmative principle.
“We have competent women in this House, so let’s have them chair the committees of this House,” she said.
Rongo MP Dalmas Otieno said the number of women in the Eleventh Parliament is only 20 per cent and so they should be guaranteed 20 per cent in House committees.
“Sixty-nine women is exactly 20 per cent and so let them have 20 per cent in everything we do and let the men get 80 per cent and encourage the women to increase their numbers in the next Parliament,” he said.
Mr Muturi said women MPs may end up overworking themselves if they are in all the committees — an argument Taita Taveta MP Naomi Shaban dismissed.
She argued that it should be left to women to worry about being overstretched, arguing that the current crop of female MPs was hardworking.
At the same time, Pokot South MP David Pkosing said there was disquiet among new lawmakers that their colleagues were using their networks with political parties’ principals to take over all key positions in the House.
Mr Pkosing, a former chief executive of the Kenya Film and Censorship Board, said the new MPs felt “they are being side-lined as no big position has been given to them”.
Mr Pkosing, who is eyeing the Energy and Information Committee, said since first- time MPs were the majority, they should be allowed to head key committees.
“I am interested in the Energy and Information committee due to my experience, having been CEO in the industry for five years,” he said.
Source: Daily Nation
