• MP calls for disbandment of county assemblies that do not have special interest groups.
• Gender commission to audit county governments on the representation of special interest groups.
Image: FILE
The electoral agency has faulted political parties for passing over special interest groups during nomination listings.
The Constitution specifies special interest groups as women, persons with disability, youth, ethnic and other minorities and marginalised communities.
Speaking during a meeting to discuss the proposed Representation of Special Interest Groups (Amendment) Bill 2019, IEBC representative Immaculate Kasait said political parties were placing the groups below the cut-off point.
"A political party may give you a list but the person with disability is number six, yet the political party is only entitled to four seats," she said.
"So by the time you pick the first four because it's based on the listing, there is no opportunity for the person with disability."
Kasait spoke on behalf of IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati.
"Political parties should make sure that when they speak about inclusion, it's translated into action," she said.
The representative also cited inadequate segregated data on persons with disability.
"That's something we are working on as a commission even though the registration system is able to tell us a person with a disability, it is not specific on what type of disability," she said.
Due to violent tendencies during elections, she said, special interest groups, especially women and persons with a disability, stay away.
"Elections are also quite expensive, which means that only a few can afford to run campaigns. Lack of legal framework on the two-thirds gender rule is also a challenge hindering representation of special interest groups."
The commission called for a review of electoral laws to address proportional representation.
Kasait said the current winner-takes-all system may not provide results in terms of inclusion and participation of special interest groups.
The Gender and Equality Commission faulted county assemblies for failing to have a representation of the special group.
According to the commission, 17 county assemblies have no persons with disabilities nominated while 20 assemblies have only one person with disability nominated.
Further, four assemblies have no youth nominated while 17 assemblies have only one youth.
The commission said it would audit county governments on the representation of special interest groups.
Westlands MP Timothy Wanyonyi called for county assemblies that do not have special interest groups to be disbanded.
"As we speak, some of these county assemblies that do not have people with disabilities nominated in their ranks should be disbanded. One of them is Nairobi."
The MP said the county had nominated a person with no disability to represent those with disabilities. He accused them of abuse of office because "the rep has never appeared in the assembly or for a single meeting".
Wanyonyi said political parties were using nominations to award those who are loyal or related to them.
He urged the electoral commission to confirm that criteria surrounding the selection of special interest group representatives is followed when political parties present their lists to them.
Edited by R.Wamochie