• Considering that political parties receive an average Sh1.5 billion, female politicians [or the missing gender] could access up to Sh220 million in a year.
•Elections Act to be amended to provide that special seat party lists commence with the name of the female candidate.
Image: HANDOUT
A fund for women politicians is among the goodies floated by a team of experts the state appointed to solve the two-thirds gender principle.
The task force on two-thirds wants the Registrar of Political Parties mandated to manage the fund.
In a report, the team appointed by Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa has proposed that the Political Parties Act be amended to establish the kitty.
The Women’s Inclusion and Political Participation Fund is to help equip more women to successfully contest legislative seats.
A Bill to anchor the fund indicates that 15 per cent of the amount allocated to the Political Parties Fund by MPs will be directed towards the fund.
Considering that political parties receive an average Sh1.5 billion, female politicians [or the missing gender] could access up to Sh220 million in a year.
“This initiative has the potential to eliminate the necessity for top-up nominations in the future,” said the PS Anne Wang’ombe and Daisy Amdany-led Multi-Sectoral Working Group on the Realisation of the Two-Thirds Gender Principle.
The proposed law says the fund shall be used for financing education and training, mentorship and capacity building for women seeking elective positions.
The fund will “capture the proper spirit of affirmative action and promote the essence of the greater gender inclusion agenda”.
“It is expected that the framework will equip and promote more women to run for office which, in a few election cycles, will bring the number of women contesting and winning elections to at least the same level as men,” the experts said.
They want parties to prioritise women in nomination lists to increase their chances of being picked.
The team wants the Elections Act amended to provide that special seat party lists start with the name of the female candidate.
“A party list shall commence with the name of a female candidate and alternate between male and female candidates in the priority in which they are listed,” the Bill reads.
The Bill also provides that “members of a political party are democratically involved in the generation of the party list through a fair and competitive process”.
IEBC is also being granted powers to reject lists of party candidates that fail to comply with the two-thirds principle.
Female politicians could also benefit from the additional 55 MP slots that the task force wants created in the current Parliament.
The team wants the Constitution amended to set in motion the nominations as an effort to settle the gender debacle.
“This is to ensure that no more than two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly and the Senate are of the same gender,” the proposed constitutional amendment Bill reads.
“For Article 90(4), a person elected under this Article shall be deemed to have served a full term.”
Besides the fund, the task force has recommended the implementation of legislative measures to ensure gender parity in campaign financing.
“This comprehensive approach includes regulations to promote financial equity during election campaigns,” the report reads.
To support women generally, the team wants deliberate steps taken to ensure gender balance across the public sector.
This will be in terms of share of jobs and other public goodies.
“As a long-term consideration, Parliament should enact a gender equality law that will holistically implement Article 27 of the Constitution,” the team said.
Experts also want gender desks installed within public institutions “to serve as a focal point for addressing gender-related concerns, ensure compliance with two-thirds principle”.
The working group also recommended that the state provide budgets for addressing disparities in gender representation, including the allocation of funds to gender-specific programmes.
“This would, therefore, call for the development of a policy on gender-responsive budgeting which takes into consideration gender-based imbalances in political processes and campaigns,” the experts report said.
The recommendations would be incorporated into the national dialogue spearheaded by President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah-led team recommended that the task force recommend a framework of implementation of the two-thirds gender principle.