The Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya has urged the National Assembly to reintroduce and pass the Duale Bill to implement the two-thirds gender rule.
Fida chairperson Josephine Mong’are said if there is political goodwill, the Bill will be implemented.
It seeks to have additional women in leadership if the election does not meet the required threshold of gender representation.
“I hope the President meant what he said the other day because all we need is political goodwill. We want to believe that he was being genuine and that Parliament will do its duty because Jubilee has majority members in Parliament,” Mong’are said.
She stressed that the only Bill that is ready for reintroduction is the Duale Bill, which is more acceptable as it had 195 votes when it went to Parliament.
“A Bill can only be reintroduced after a period of six months and that to us is the only Bill that has matured,” Mong’are said.
The Duale Bill, if passed, will see the Constitution amended to provide for a number of nominated seats necessary to ensure no gender has more than two-thirds membership in Parliament.
The proposed law seeks to ensure that the number of special seats shall be determined after the declaration of the number of members elected.
The Duale Bill provides for the achievement of the gender principle in Parliament within 20 years from the 2017 polls.
The Chepkonga Bill, which was another viable option, has strongly been disapproved by Fida and other women’s groups.
Fida said it does not support the Chepkonga Bill because it proposes progressive implementation of the gender rule without a timeline, while women MPs and other groups want a definite formula that will guide the implementation of the principle.
Mong’are said the Chepkonga Bill will not work as it was defeated in December last year, meaning it is still premature.
On the other hand, the Duale Bill is more suitable as it has mechanisms for implementation and also gives a two-term implementation period, she said.
Mong’are denied claims that the implementation of the two-thirds principle would bloat the wage bill.
“Women are equal citizens of this country and we should not be treated as leftovers. We should get the same treatment on the table. It should not be considered expensive because women are asking for what’s rightfully theirs,” she said.