Two-thirds gender amendment won't touch on bill of rights

The president's advisor on Women's Rights Harriette Chiggai has said they do not seek to amend the bill of rights. 

She said the move to amend the constitution on the two-thirds gender rule will only touch on Article 97 of the constitution.

"We are seeking to amend Article 97 which touches on the composition of Parliament and not the bill of rights," she said.  

Chiggai said Article 97 of the constitution does not touch on the bill of rights, and that the Bill of Rights requires a constitutional referendum.

She said they plan to work with Article 27(8) of the constitution which touches on the right to equality. 

"Regarding Article 27(8) of the Constitution and its applicability, we are trying to interpret it in informing our realisation of the two-thirds principle," she said. 

Article 97, Chiggai said, has made parliament unconstitutional and promoted several litigations in court. 

Chiggai spoke on Thursday during a consultative forum with women leaders on the constitutional amendments bill on the two-thirds gender rule at a Nairobi hotel.

Chiggai, on whether the amendment of article 97 will affect the functions of parliament said, " the composition of parliament does not influence the functions of Parliament."

She said currently, the National Assembly is not constitutionally constituted. 

Chiggai said Parliament's composition ought to be constitutionally compliant. 

She said statistics show that for every woman running for political office, there are seven men. 

" One against seven means at any one time one of the seven men will get the seat," she said. 

She said there ought to be equality in all aspects all life.