Political parties reject Chepkonga’s Bill, urge tabling of TWG proposal

Political parties meeting under the aegis of the political parties liaison committee Thursday made a seven point resolution among them urging the Chairperson of the Justice and Legal affairs Committee Samuel Chepkong’a to withdraw a controversial bill he tabled in parliament last month seeking to provide for a progressive realisation of the two thirds gender principle.

The political parties had earlier convened a daylong meeting at the Sai rock beach hotel in Mombasa to deliberate on the stalemate where they emerged to categorically reject Chepkong’a’s Bill. “Political parties unanimously reject the proposed bill by Hon. Samuel Chepkonga as it is retrogressive and postpones the implementation of the two thirds gender Principe indefinitely,” they said in statement read on their behalf by Labour Party of Kenya Secretary General Peter Kubebea.

The parties noted that the process of developing a viable formula had been sufficiently inclusive and called for the focus to shift on lobbying for support for the proposed viable formula.

Runyenjes MP Cecily Mbarire who is also the chairperson of the Kenya Women Parliamentarians Association-KEWOPA has been given the Technical Working Group’s Bill to publish it on their behalf after the Attorney General indicated he would not be tabling it in parliament. The Bill by Technical Working Group’s seeks the immediate realisation of the two thirds gender principle by providing for a fall-back position of nominating the number of members required to comply with the two thirds gender principle in the National Assembly and Senate after elections have been held

At the same time the parties proposed the administration of political parties fund to advance the promotion of gender equity and inclusion of special interest groups in party nominations for elective and appointive positions.

They reiterated their goodwill to consolidate efforts towards implementation of affirmative action programmes and strategies that advance inclusion and representation of women, PWDs, youth, ethnic minorities and marginalised communities in political leadership.

The parties called upon all political leaders both in government and opposition to demonstrate commitment to the rule of law and the implementation of the two thirds principle.

Political parties reject Chepkonga’s Bill, urge tabling of TWG proposal