IEBC nomination fee review is not enough

The IEBC has agreed to revise downwards the fee that aspirants for the women representative seats will have to pay. Instead of Sh500,000, they will now pay Sh250,000. We still believe that this is too much to demand from women. After all, only women will be allowed to run for these seats! 

If the intention is to encourage more women participation in the political process, why not reduce the nomination fee even further so that competition is opened to a wider group of women? The new nomination fee is still going to lock out thousands of women who have the the passion to serve but not the financial clout to enter the race. Unless of course the intention is to create yet another class of moneyed women in politics!

This is an opportune time for the IEBC to set a sound foundation which will hopefully see merit, ability and passion to serve the public as well as sound policies take centrestage in our election campaigns. The IEBC must not fail the women. It must review the nomination fee downwards.

Quote of the day:"Who will now care for the animals, for they cannot look after themselves? Are there young men and women who are willing to take on this charge? Who will raise their voices, when mine is carried away on the wind, to plead their case?" George Adamson (Bwana Simba) was a British wildlife conservationist and author best known for the movie Born Free. He died on 20 August 1989.