Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has given political parties until May 9 to submit lists of aspirants that comply with the two-thirds gender principle or risk being disqualified in the August polls.
The move by IEBC complicates matters for Deputy William Ruto and Raila Odinga both of who are leaders of the two biggest political parties in the country
In a statement on Friday, May 6, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati urged political parties to comply with a court order on the two-thirds gender principle and submit revised lists to the commission.
“Non-compliant political parties will not participate in the 2022 General Election for the said elective positions,” Chebukati said.
Chebukati opined that the Commission had received lists of nominated candidates for the MP and Senate positions from 81 political parties as of April 28.
He revealed that 48 political parties that submitted lists of nominated candidates for senate seats and 38 political parties that submitted lists of candidates for MP seats complied with the gender rule..
On Wednesday, April 27, IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati reminded all political parties to comply with existing statutory obligations.
“You are hereby reminded that all political parties participating in the upcoming General Election must comply with the existing statutory obligations and ensure all nominated lists of nominated candidates for the 290 constituency-based elective positions for Members of the National Assembly and 47 County-based positions for the Members of Senate must comply with two-thirds gene rule,” the commission said.
Article 27(8) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 provides that the State shall take steps to ensure that not more than two-thirds of members of all elective and appointive positions are not of the same gender.
Ten years after the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, there is yet to be enacted specific legislation to operationalize this constitutional provision on gender equality.
Only 9.8 percent of the tenth Parliament was comprised of women, and only 20.7 percent of the eleventh (sitting) Parliament is women the lowest in East Africa.
