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Why we must fight to secure places for more women and young people in politics

Editorial / Opinion Piece / Blog Post

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September 30, 2020

Why we must fight to secure places for more women and young people in politics

Source: Mail Guardian

The Kenyan political system is in crisis. The country’s chief justice, David Maraga, has written to President Uhuru Kenyatta to advise him to dissolve Parliament — a move that would require fresh elections. Why? Because the overwhelmingly male legislature has failed to introduce legislation to bring to life a constitutional clause promoting gender equality within Parliament.

MPs are up in arms, saying that it would be ridiculous to hold elections during a pandemic and questioning the legality of Maraga’s advice. In a puzzling piece of jurisprudence, Judge Weldon Korir of the high court subsequently suspended the dissolution, claiming that it would be prudent to interrogate the constitutionality of the chief justice’s recommendation.  

That this move represented a defence of the status quo rather than Kenyan law is clear from the fact that, as chief justice of the supreme court, it is Maraga who is ultimately responsible for interpreting the Constitution — unlike Korir who sits in a lower court.

The case of Kenya is, sadly, not unique. All too often governments have failed to walk the walk when it comes to gender equality — even when they talk the talk. Women and young people are underrepresented in elected politics around the world. The average age of the members of the United States House of Representatives before its 116th Congress was 58 years, and women make up just 23% of its 435 members. 

Click here to read the full article published by Mail Guardian on 30 September 2020.

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The Kenyan political system is in crisis. The country’s chief justice, David Maraga, has written to President Uhuru Kenyatta to advise him to dissolve Parliament — a move that would require fresh elections. Why? Because the overwhelmingly male legislature has failed to introduce legislation to bring to life a constitutional clause promoting gender equality within Parliament.

MPs are up in arms, saying that it would be ridiculous to hold elections during a pandemic and questioning the legality of Maraga’s advice. In a puzzling piece of jurisprudence, Judge Weldon Korir of the high court subsequently suspended the dissolution, claiming that it would be prudent to interrogate the constitutionality of the chief justice’s recommendation.  

That this move represented a defence of the status quo rather than Kenyan law is clear from the fact that, as chief justice of the supreme court, it is Maraga who is ultimately responsible for interpreting the Constitution — unlike Korir who sits in a lower court.

The case of Kenya is, sadly, not unique. All too often governments have failed to walk the walk when it comes to gender equality — even when they talk the talk. Women and young people are underrepresented in elected politics around the world. The average age of the members of the United States House of Representatives before its 116th Congress was 58 years, and women make up just 23% of its 435 members. 

Click here to read the full article published by Mail Guardian on 30 September 2020.

Focus areas