Gender equality ignored in Cabinet reshuffle – Lichuma

The Gender and Equality Commission has protested the recent government re-organization by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto saying that it does not meet the Constitutional threshold on gender and regional balance.

The commission chair Winfred Lichuma has now appealed to President Kenyatta to consider reconstituting the Cabinet to raise the number of women to achieve the two-thirds gender rule.

Speaking in Kwale during the Annual Jurists’ Conference themed “Achieving Gender Equality in Political Processes”, Lichuma said President Kenyatta was supposed to appoint seven women as Cabinet Secretaries during the re-organization of government Ministries and departments.

“It is very unfair on what President Kenyatta did why did he have to appoint five women instead of seven according to the two third gender equality? Does he mean that women cannot perform, that is why he did so?” she asked.

Lichuma added that if the constitution recognizes the two thirds of gender equality, then the President has no choice but to respect it.

“If the constitution recognizes the two thirds of gender equality, why is the President not implementing that?” Lichuma poised.

Lichuma also added that President Kenyatta did not consider the people with disabilities in his list of appointment on Tuesday.

“The constitution recognizes people with disabilities but as you can see on Tuesday our president did not consider any of them in the list of appointment which is very wrong an unfair.”

She said the commission finds itself in a difficult situation as it is supposed to offer advisory on such issues but the President do not implement.

On her part, former First Lady of Zambia Dr. Maureen Mwanawasa said that women should fight for 50% representation as they equal men in all aspects.

Lichuma’s came hours after Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi accused President Kenyatta of forming a government that favours a section of Kenyans while disadvantaging others.

Mudavadi, a former Deputy Prime Minister in the Grand Coalition Government, said that the new-look Cabinet as announced by President Kenyatta Tuesday night does not represent the face of Kenya and is not all inclusive.

“The people of Kenya expected a breath of fresh air in a reconstituted Cabinet. A reconstituted Cabinet would have meant all the people of Kenya are made to feel part of government,” said Mudavadi.

He said that what the President did was just to substitute players but the team remains the same.