Justice Committee Undeterred in Push to Postpone Gender Rule Deadline

Appearing before the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee on Wednesday, Legal Affairs Committee chair Samuel Chepkonga said the proposed changes had been endorsed by all committee members.

He added that the committee will now take the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill to the public to include views from all stakeholders following political pressure after the bill was tabled in Parliament last week.

Touching on the gender rule, the oversight committee chair Njoroge Baiya told the Chepkonga-led committee to make the Bill ready by June 8 to beat the set Constitutional deadline.

Constitutional implementation commission chair, Charles Nyachae, has said his commission has published a similar Bill and will submit it for approval by Cabinet and Parliament, after comparing it with the legal affairs committee one.

Women MPs, under the auspice of Kenya Women Parliamentarians Association (Kewopa), Tuesday said they would organise a march to Parliament to demand the withdrawal of the bill that seeks to postpone the implementation of the gender rule.

Chepkonga has proposed to table a Bill to amend the Constitution to fight the August 27 deadline on roll-out of the gender rule, advising that the Bill should be gradually implemented without setting deadlines.

By Benjamin Wafula