African Woman And Child Feature Service

Women legislators call for increased investment in gender equality initiatives

Women legislators call for increased investment in gender equality initiatives

By Faith Muiruri

As Kenyans joined the rest of the world in marking International Women’s Day (IWD), women leaders across the political divide called for increased investment in women empowerment programmes tailored towards the realisation of gender equality.

In reaffirming the 2024 IWD theme: Invest in Women and Accelerate Progress, the women Members of Parliament and Senators cited Article 100 of the Constitution of Kenya which promotes representation of marginalised groups notably women, youth, and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

The legislators singled out Article 27 of the Constitution, which they said was key in pushing for equality and access to other range of rights, among them, freedom from discrimination based on ethnic or social origin, age, sex, disability and religion, among others.

“We need to push for the actualisation of these constitutional provisions to help break the barriers and create an environment where all women are valued and respected,” said the legislators. But, they warned, this can only happen if there is greater investment in gender equality programmes.

Among those present were: Beatrice Elachi, the MP for Dagoretti North; Crystal Asige, a nominated senator representing persons with disability; Jane Njeri Maina, the Woman Representative for Kirinyaga County; and former nominated MP Denittah Ghati.

Speaking during the People’s Dialogue Forum organised by the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) under the banner Inspiring Inclusion, the legislators reiterated that the constitutional clauses have not only served to inspire inclusion but have helped to promote diversity in leadership and decision-making platforms.

“We have the Affirmative Action seats as outlined in the constitution among them the 47 Woman Representative seats and the nominated seats in the Senate, as well as the national and county assemblies, which have gradually increased the number of women in Parliament,” said Jane Njeri Maina, the Woman Representative for Kirinyaga County.

According to her, there is need to educate the public to understand the value of women’s inclusion in the political arena.

“Women bring unique perspectives before the floor of the House and we must celebrate gains made by women MPs in actualising certain legislative processes that promote the rights of marginalised groups.”

For instance, she noted, women contributed tremendously to the enactment of family and gender-based violence legislations. These are: Matrimonial Property Act, Marriage Act, Protection Against Domestic Violence Act, and Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act. These laws have gone a long way to protect and advance women rights.

She, however, points out that Parliament remains insensitive to young women legislators.

“For instance, we do not have breastfeeding rooms to cater for lactating women legislators in Parliament. It is like we are being told to put on hold our reproductive roles.

“Women in the 21st century do not have to put on hold their reproductive roles at the expense of jobs and therefore we must be provided with a conducive environment to thrive.”

The women leaders also spoke about unfairness in the allocation of funds to enable them engage in development projects in their areas of jurisdiction.

They talked of huge disparities of how allocations are done.

For instance, they noted, each Member of Parliament in a single constituency has a staggering budget of Sh180 million to enable them execute projects in their constituents; while the 47 County MPs receive a mere Sh9 million for each constituency, which is not enough to undertake meaningful development.

They were disappointed that the County MPs are supposed to represent women, youth and persons with disabilities with the meagre resources yet they are put on the same weighing scale as MPs in single constituencies during electioneering period.

Political experts think these disparities and low allocation to development projects for County MPs might explain why there is a high turn-over for women county MPs every election cycle, with majority of them unable to retain their seats.

The legislators argue that for inclusion to succeed, there is need to bridge the gap in financing disparities at the Legislature level and pay disparities in the private sector.

There was a feeling that policies guiding many institutions, including Parliament, do not allow women to thrive.

Crystal Asige, a nominated senator representing persons with disability observed: “Even as we talk about the two-thirds gender rule, we must promote inclusion by pushing for the equal representation of other marginalised groups.”

Asige at the same time urged women in political parties to speak out against inequalities within political parties and demand they invest in gender equality initiatives.

“We must be bold, intentional and radical to inspire inclusion within political parties. We need advocacy and policy change to help deal with structural barriers at the political and national level.

Ghati expressed optimism about the effectiveness of women leaders in Parliament, bringing about change that promote gender equality. But she said that this can only happen if women leaders speak with one voice at political rallies or other forums.

Ghati challenged MPs to ensure the country attains and upholds the two-thirds gender principle that is key to attaining fair representation in the National Assembly.

“The more women we have in Parliament, the easier it becomes to pass gender responsive legislations and champion for things like the free sanitary towels in schools.

Beatrice Elachi, the MP for Dagoretti North and the Vice Chair of Kenya Women Parliamentarians, reminded the women MPs that the gradual increase in the number of women in all arms of government is as a result of consistent and tireless efforts of “our pathfinders whose shoulders we stand on.”

“It is important that female legislators understand the history of women empowerment so that they soldier on with full appreciation of those who came before them.”

STORY 2-IWD