President Uhuru Kenyatta’s nominee for National Gender and Equality Commission chair has challenged MPs to pass the two-third gender bill, saying it is long overdue.
Appearing for vetting before the National Assembly’s Labour and Social Welfare Committee, Joyce Mwikali told the panel to consider passing the bill to ensure equal participation of either gender.
Mwikali has served in the public service for 34 years. She promised to prioritise devolving the commission’s field offices to the 47 counties from the current three if the committee approved her nomination.
Also read:
The commission is only present in Nairobi, Garissa and Kisumu. Mwikali is currently the board chair of Rongo University. She said she is ready to relinquish the position if approved. Mwikali will succeed former NGEC chairperson Winfred Lichuma who left office last year. The committee chaired by Ali Wario also vetted former Nyeri Woman Representative Priscilla Nyokabi and Kenyatta University don Muriithi Munyi nominated to be members of the commission.
Nyokabi too rooted for the passage of the gender bill, saying no community can go far when one gender dominates positions of influence. Ol Jororok lawmaker Michael Muchira put to task the former lawmaker over her neutrality given her political background. He demanded that Nyokabi prove her past political association will not bring conflict of interest.
“I am not a member of any political party. I was an independent candidate in the last elections,” Nyokabi said.
