Women Members of Parliament have called for a coordinated national effort to realise the constitutional two-thirds gender rule ahead of the 2027 general election.

The legislators, led by Gilgil MP Martha Wangari, said attaining the constitutional gender principle will require collaboration among Parliament, the media, civil society, development partners and the public.

Speaking during a legislative forum convened by Mzalendo Trust with support from Uraia Trust and the Embassy of Denmark in Kenya on Monday, Wangari further argued that it was regrettable that the constitutional threshold had remained unmet 16 years after the promulgation of the Constitution.

“It’s time we changed tact and work together with the media, civil society and development partners to build consensus on practical measures to realise the Two-Thirds Gender Rule,”  Wangari said

She urged stakeholders to adopt a new approach by working together to build consensus on practical measures that would help Kenya realise the Two-Thirds Gender Rule before the next general election.

The forum, which brought together members of the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association, also saw support for the proposal from Joyce Kamene, Umul Ker Kassim, Irene Mayaka and nominated senators Veronica Maina, Catherine Mumma and Esther Okenyuri.

The lawmakers said bipartisan and cross-sector collaboration, including support from male legislators, would be critical in increasing women’s representation in elective leadership.

Aspiring female candidates

Kamene called on women leaders to mentor aspiring female candidates and uphold high standards of leadership, noting that female politicians are often subjected to greater public scrutiny than their male counterparts.

The electorate are always watching, and female leaders are judged by harsh standards. We should be good role models,” Kamene said.

Women’s representation

Kassim said efforts to increase women’s representation should be driven from the grassroots, arguing that engaging communities directly would encourage more women to contest elective seats.

“We should get out of the boardrooms and go to the grassroots if we are serious about increasing the number of female MCAs, MPs, senators and governors,” she said.

The legislators expressed optimism that sustained cooperation among political leaders, civil society, development partners and the media would help Kenya make progress in implementing the constitutional gender principle ahead of the 2027 polls.