Revealed: Why women Leaders are opposing the BBI Report

Women leaders confederated to President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga, have conflicted any strive to scrap the 47 women representative positions in the yet to be released Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report.

With the notice of ‘Embrace’, the women leaders say they will support BBI only if the women’s positions are kept and more spots created at the Senate. They also want the BBI authorities to fix the evasive two-thirds gender rule once and for all.

The leaders, led by Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, and Senate Deputy Majority leader Fatuma Dullo (Isiolo), speaking to Hello News dodged confidence that there would be a lasting solution to the gender representation, adding that since Parliament had been unable to approve the legislation, it was time to fix it under the BBI.

2/3 Gender Rule

“The best avenue to address the standoff that has frustrated the gender rule is the BBI. In this regard, while expressing our support for the BBI agenda, the process should not only protect but expand women’s gains in the Constitution,” said Ms Waiguru.

The leaders also rooted in different gender principles at all levels of governance. They said women represented more than 50 percent of the country’s population and deserved to be included in every level of Governance.

“We are asking for gender alternative so that if the governor is male, the deputy should be female, if the Speaker is male, the deputy speaker should be female,” said Waiguru.

The BBI unit team had suggested that if a governor is male, the deputy should be female.

“We have faith in the experts. It will not be just another proposal to Parliament,” she said.

Fatuma Dullo further asked those objecting the BBI reports before reading it to stop, saying Kenyans should discard personal interests. “You cannot oppose what you don’t know. Kenyans should reject those opposing BBI for personal interests,” said Dullo.

Anne Waiguru urged politicians and the electorate to keep peace before and after the release of the BBI.

The BBI has proposed to have Kenyans vote for 94 senators in the 2022 General Election to deal with the two-thirds gender rule, meaning the Senate will have a man and a woman to ensure equality.