Kenyans have been urged to watch carefully the conduct of political parties after the second successful reading of crucial amendments in Parliament.
Speaking at Silibwet Stadium in Bomet County, Nominated MP Halima Mucheke said that the Representation of Special Interest Groups Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 forces political parties to ensure a compulsory one-third party membership by Special Interest Groups (SIGs).
“All MPs were in support of the Bill, and we must educate the public that soon political parties will no longer hide behind flimsy reasons of not having a one-third representation from the SIGs,” MP Mucheke told hundreds who had gathered at the stadium for an empowerment event.
Some of the contents of the Bill that MP Halima supported on the floor of the House include amendment of the IEBC Act, No. 9 of 2011 to define the SIGs to include women, persons with disabilities, youth, ethnic and other minorities, and marginalised communities.
In addition, the IEBC shall in the registration of voters ensure there is data on all the categories of SIGs.
The amendments also seek to ensure the electoral commission regulates the process by which political parties submit their party lists.
The electoral commission’s information must also be in modes accessible to persons with disabilities to avoid them being denied their right to information in the important electoral process.
MP Halima said the 33% affirmative action ratio was adopted in the Constitution to enrich political parties and other institutions with skills, knowledge, and talents that are dormant within the SIGs because of lack of opportunities.
She said educating the public on the amendments was vital in building the capacity of the citizenry in relation to gains made in legislation processes.
MP Mucheke said the current status, of disrespecting the 1/3 rule, robs the 46 million Kenyans an opportunity to benefit from the abilities of the SIGs and violates the Constitution.
“We will no longer beg political parties to implement the crucial amendments once passed as the law,” said MP Mucheke.
The resistance to affirmative action for SIGs means that the persons are discriminated against contrary to the Spirit and Provisions of the Constitution.
At Silibwet Stadium, women MPs who are members of the Inua Mama, Jenga Taifa group, held a meeting to empower the women, youth and disabled in the county through different projects and initiatives.
The more than 30 women leaders were hosted by Bomet Women Representative Joyce Korir, and were led by their Chair Kandara MP Alice Wahome.
The inception of Affirmative Action
President John F. Kennedy in the United States introduced the affirmative concept using an Executive Order to compensate for discrimination that existed despite constitutional guarantees and civil rights laws.
The 33% representation is captured in several international documents that Kenya is a signatory: Convention on all Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 among others.
