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{
    "id": 1219939,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1219939/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 290,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nandi County, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Cynthia Muge",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "had said whatever he said on a very topical issue that was happening in the country at that time. Of course, I felt great not just to be associated with Bishop Muge but also to be a neighbour to him. Every time I am at home, I tell people that it is important that they ensure they have a beautiful and well-built name. It might not be beneficial to you but it will be beneficial to the generations that will come after you. Bishop Muge was a great man. We should all endeavour to emulate what he used to do and what he stood for until death. He was a great man in all spheres. My wish is that we have reincarnations of him in the generations that we currently have. He comes from Mosop Constituency, Nandi County, where I come from. Thank you, Hon. Speaker for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion that has been brought to the House by the Leader of the Majority Party. We have had many issues and discussions regarding the matter that has been raised through this Motion. One of them is the outstanding issue of the two-thirds gender rule. As Hon. Bensuda has said, this is not a matter that we should be speaking to but rather we should be asking how far its implementation has reached. We have spoken for so many years, especially after the promulgation of the current Constitution that recognises the deficiency in the female gender representation in public office, and specifically in leadership positions or decision-making tables. This observation necessitated that we institute affirmative action to give women, or whichever gender it may be in the future, an opportunity to participate in decision making. When we talk about gender issues, it is mostly construed to women issues but it is not. I looked at the statistics today morning in light of the International Women’s Day that is supposed to happen tomorrow 8th March 2023. I looked at the statistics that the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) had compiled on the number of female teachers in primary schools versus the number of male teachers. The number of female teachers in primary schools is more than the number of male teachers. That should show that gender parity is not exclusively a females’ issue. Either gender can fall on either side. I appreciate the President for going out of his way to pursue this matter. Everyone thought that he was merely making a political statement during the electioneering period when he promised that he would look into the gender parity issue keenly and ensure that his Cabinet is gender-sensitive. We have not met all the promises that we made but there is still time for that. On this specific issue, the National Assembly is a legislative House. The President has been intentional to the extent that he has put together a team to recommend on how we are going to achieve the two-thirds gender rule. It takes willingness and political goodwill for one to do that. The fact that he saw it wise to bring it to this House shows that he is committed to this issue. If you look at the wording of this particular Motion, it actually asks Members to make general comments and observations in regard to the proposals that have been brought to the House, which is a rare opportunity. Most of the time, things would be done and decided on and then they would be brought to the House with clear recommendations. However, in regard to this matter, this particular Motion has been brought to the House so that we are able to make comments and put our thoughts together so that we can make it better and easily achievable. We want to ensure that we provide an enabling environment for ease of implementation so that as we gear towards settling on a particular formula for the two-thirds gender rule, we are also clear on the implementation framework so that we fast-track the same. I appreciate what the Woman Representative for Homa Bay County has said. She has not just been speaking about it but has ensured that she is doing something about it. That is something all of us should be doing. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}