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Features Gender & Governance Women MPs Count their Gains and Plan Ahead
| Women MPs Count their Gains and Plan Ahead |
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This week the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) launched its five-year strategic plan. The strategic plan is a milestone. It shows how far women MPs have come and what more they would like to achieve. The plan captures the aspirations of the 18 women MPs and their impact in the Ninth Parliament. It is based on the premise that women must participate in politics and have adequate representation in Parliament and Government as part of their democractic and human rights. During the launch the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Regional Director, Ms Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, advised the MPs to regard leadership as a chance to translate the everyday life of women to legislation. She said increasingly women leaders are not only playing a role in national leadership but also at the global level. At the event the issue of 50 -50 representation of women and men in Parliament was hotly debated. "Kenya lags behind the region in terms of women's representation in Parliament, and we need affirmative action to realise the mandated 30 percent, " said Nominated MP, Ms Betty Tett, the chairperson of Kewopa. She said women MPs face many challenges in the August house. That no woman heads any house committee is evidence that they are not treated equally with men, she said. That the MPs have no maternity leave speaks volumes about an institution that is responsible for making the country's laws. But the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr David Musila, assured the MPs that Parliament is working on changing its Standing Order. He said the concerned committee, which he chairs, would welcome suggestions on how to make Parliament gender sensitive. "I received recommendations from Kewopa asking for the introduction of a committee on gender and we will look into that," he said. The launch of the plan is the icing on the cake of many achievements on gender issues particularly those that affect women. Some of the gains include the enactment of the Sexual Offences Act, the adoption of the Gender Policy Bill and the Presidential decree on affirmative action that provides that at least 30 percent of new public service jobs to be held by women. The Ninth Parliament will go down in history as having the highest bills proposed by women - the Cotton Bill by Hon. Julia Ojiambo , Sexual Offences Bill by Njoki Ndungu and Gender Policy Bill by Alicen Chelaite. "But we have unfinished business" warned Nyaradzai. She said only the Constitution can give the ultimate protection of women's rights. "The optimum agenda must be enshrined in the Constitution. The pending Bills in Parliament which remains central to women's rights like the Family Protection Bill and HIV/Aids must be passed. " The plan focuses on capacity building for women parliamentarians, increasing the number of elected MPs, formulating and supporting laws that address women's needs and promoting advocacy as an alternative political model. The President of Europeans Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA), Dr Janito Scholten, said women have equal rights like men to participate in politics and to be elected. He urged African countries, and Kenya in particular, to give space to women to participate in society as equal partners. Kewopa members pledged to protect and consolidate gains made by women and to ensure that women MPs retain their seats in next year's General Election. The MPs said political parties hinder women from achieving critical numbers in Parliament. "Women are not only under-represented in Parliament but also in political parties and the only way we can see women's representation in Parliament increase is when parties nominate them, " said Prof. Christine Mango. This story was originally published in The Sunday Standard, November 5, 2006 in the Guest Forum              |
