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The message is loud and clear.
The 9th parliament does not think much of women and do not want more women in parliament. They probably believe that they have nothing to contribute.
I say this because, if they were sensitive, they would have made every effort to have the bill adjusted so that the 40 new constituencies, which they were against could be removed and the new seats fro women remain. Instead this bone of contention was used as en excuse to throw out a bill that would have had far-reaching effect and very positive impact on the country.
This whole episode has made nominated legislator Njoki Ndungu look a real heroine to have gotten her Sexual Offences Bill passed. But just look at the hard work she put in?
She organized seminars for MPs and basically did everything to cajole, beg and so on to get the 9th parliament to pass the land mark legislation that is still having problems being enforced.
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For once the 9th parliament did something right by rejecting that bill. The bill was flawed and had sinister motives.I think for such a fundermental change in our constitution, very deliberate and consistent debate needs to occur. I actually think a referendum would be essential. How comes the proponents wanted this done now jus before elections??? The bill had an improper agenda.
ReplyDeletechris there you go again.
ReplyDeleterejecting this bill was one of the best decisions this parliament did. I mean why do we niggers have our priorities upside down? what doe kenya need urgently,infrastructure, security,creation of employment, investment creation,the list is endless. i think the idea of creating additional seats for some elitist bitches to enjoy tax payers money is far fetched.
for those supporting such crap please tell us how 50 additional women in parliament will help this country. and to add salt to an injury was the proposal that those women were to be nominated. all it meant was a certain elitist bitch to sleep with a tribal gladiator and she is assured of a job for 5 years.
we all witnessed what happened to the nomination of the members of the EALA. let people fight for the seats. infact kenyas priority is not additonal seats in parliament but addressing critical issues affecting the voiceless in this country. no wonder africa remains the poorest continent in the globe because the people cannot address thie priorities right
I'm not sure if passing a written law-one that is binding-to give 50 women seats in the next 10th parliament is the right way to recognise and celebrate our women. First of all, politics is one of those vocations where sex doesn't play much part-both genders are equally capable of running matters of state&national affairs.
ReplyDeleteSecondly politics is a struggle to climb up the political ladder (or as Bwana Kalamari would say the dirty game)-even here as in life, position has to be earned not given
(i don't refer here to anyone in the current 10th parliament; i whole-heartedly believe none of them struggled to get into that parliament of their own merit)
Finally, if women's political caucuses like league of Kenya Women Voters (funny name, but never mind) rounded up that powerful voting bloc of women they represent to stand as one to vote in their own in by and general elections, they would easily capture those 50 seats without trying to gang rush a bill into law
Denying women 50 seats in parliament should not be seen as keeping them from growing to their full human potential. afterall, the economy is growing (my tongue is too big in my cheek right now)
(surely i am the greatest arm-chair spectator&commentator in the world)
Valid reasons, except Bw. Veteran cannot escape with verbal murder. Your take is sound and nobody can fault you on that. But your slide into obsecenities skims the gem off it. Otherwise that a nice piece spoilt by single b.. dudu.
ReplyDeleteI think I prefer my women to remain independent. My most fantastic dates have been dutch. With the same breath they pay for their plate of medium rear filet mignon, they too must fight for elective office. Ni nini wanataka ya bure? Si Ngilu has shown the way. The world war 1 veteran is right, if this thing were to pass, we would see quite a number of ndogo ngogo MPs. Out of the fifty, 5 would be from the civil societies, 20 would be the wives of fallen politicians (Khamati) and 10 would be from settling political scores (Bett/Ojiambo). The remaining 15 could be yours or my sister….younger i.e.
ReplyDeleteAny affirmative action should be accorded to the Ogiek. They in fact should have 5 nominated MPs….and a VP. Period.
I am on record here saying that all this hullabaloo about additional seats for the elitist women is driven by short-term populism more than anything else. Why on God's beautiful earth should we set out to pay out more than Kshs 30M every end month to idlers with no defined roles to play? What is the role of a nominated member of parliament in Kenya? Can anyone tell me why we continue to pay exorbitant-ass amounts of money to the likes of Amina Abdalla, the sweet Cecily Mbarire, Mutula Kilonzo, Franklin Bett and Peter Castro Aringo? What do they give us in return? Oh did I forget the under-cover Alicen Chelaite? C'mmon, this is daylight conmanship!
ReplyDeleteIt hurts me when people talk of 'special seats for women'. Who the hell said women are 'special'? My girlfriend is special to me and I will do special things to her and it should step there. The same thing for u and your wife/girlfriend. I do not see why we should be taxed so heavily to pay people who spend all their time in Beijing conferences and to add insult to injury, they go with hair stylists at our expense just so they 'look ministerial'.What crap! The cry-baby agenda spearheaded by Kaluki Ngilu, Ida Odinga and Martha Karua should be treated with the contempt it deserves---Ignored!
We should continue to have 210 members of parliament elected competitively and democratically by the people. The 12 nomination slots we already have should henceforth go to peole with disabilities. In my opinion the Deaf, the blind and the crippled are the ones who deserve preferential treatment because they cannot be realistically expected to compete on the same footing with the fit people. More importantly, they are the best placed to pursue the 'Equal Opportunities' agenda because it is after all the wearer of the shoe who knows where it pinches.
And as someone has said here, we should never be tempted to think that the beneficiaries of this fraud are the downtrodden women or their representatives, no. It will be a bunch of overtly elitist Nairobians: Yvonne Khamati, Janet Ongera, Mumbi Ng'aru, Mary Mbandi, Amina Abdallah and Anne Njogu---always dancing to the whimps of their political masters and mistresses.
Vikii correction: Alicen Chelaite is Moi's (Kabarak) MP for Rongai elected on NAKA ticket - not nominated.
ReplyDeleteThe arguments here are very sound and cannot be faulted. But what is buffling is if I were to nominate a nondescript Nzilani (wee Vikii no words in between the lines!) to bunge, she will transform herself into an elite over night. So is this bug about money ama 'you only brand mtu malaya because you have not slept with him/her' Any takers out there Kenyans?
NB: Vikii, your unspoken message in mentioning J. Ongera, M. Ngaru and M. Mbandi is louder than a scream. Nice one bro.
Taabu thanks for the Chelaite correction. I actually forgot about her election victory. Is she still around?
ReplyDeleteMumbi Ng'aru, Mary Mbandi and Janet Ongera are surely names that ring bells. I know what you are thinking Mwalimu Taabu. There is nothing peculiar bro. Mary Mbandi for one is a VERY close family friend of ours. I knew her when I was eeehh four or five. She supports Kalonzo Musyoka and if that crappy proporsal were, by some stroke of luck pass, she would automatically be one of them because you know who calls the shots in that side of town. Amina Abdallah is Uhuru's person and Yvonne Khamati is Kombo/kibaki. Anne Njogu is Ngilu's sister and the other two are Raila's people. Now Taabu do u see the vanity of thinking outside the box all the time?
Are they supposed to be elected? Creating slots that border on the number required will only bring about what I will refer to as the Amina Abdallas and the Julia Ojiambos. We need Ngilu in parliament, we need people who represent the cause of the people. Not handpicks and why should there be a special slot for them.
ReplyDeleteLet democracy thrive and they fight for the seats. Lest we go back to the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake and get Musalia Mudavadi's wfie, Khaniri's mother, Mmaisti's aunt, Ida Odinga, Patni's wife, Nyaga's cousin and even Lotodo's daughter being appointed. I dont despise any of them, but that will be the criteria. For a better representation, they will go for the 'elite' which means that only those who are 'enlightened' will be appointed top represewnt the women folk. The best thing is to have them make themselves popular like in the UK, France or in Germany where a woman can be chancellor and challenge the men. No shortcut to democracy
Wooing women votes the wrong way, let them try another one.
ReplyDeleteI still maintain, No shorcuts! No favours!