A petitioner wants the Constitution amended to abolish woman representative positions.
In his petition to the Constitution Implementation Oversight Committee, Rage Ismael also proposed that the age bracket for youth be extended from 18-35 years to 18-45 years. He argues that the changes will give more Kenyans time to benefit from the youth funds.
“When we were passing the new Constitution, we agreed that it was not a 100 per cent perfect and some of its provisions were to be amended,” the 36-year-old farmer from Uasin Gishu county told the committee yesterday.
On the two-thirds gender rule, he urged MPs to change the laws to apply only on appointment positions and not elective seats. “We need an equal playing field and let those who want elective seats go to the people and campaign,” Ismael said.
He said scrapping of the woman representative seat will help tame the ballooning wage bill.
Embu woman representative and a CIOC member Rose Mitaru said if women heard about the proposal, they will register their displeasure on why men are throwing them out.
But Ismael said he is helping them “run away faster” from the position, as many were no longer interested in the positions.
He also wants the basic education to be the minimum qualification for holders of county, Senate and National Assembly positions. “Anybody with standard eight education can lead... Leadership is about wisdom and not academic papers,” he said in response to CIOC chairman Njoroge Baiya.
Ismael also called for the reduction of the number of constituencies. He also said Cabinet Secretaries should be appointed from sitting MPs, a proposal Baiya said will tamper with the principle of separation of powers.