Source: TheStar
Women’s rights groups are now calling on President William Ruto to recall his appointees to various public offices and produce a new, more inclusive list. They said all his appointments to public offices have failed to adhere to the constitutional mandate of two-thirds gender representation.
In a joint statement, the Center for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), FIDA, Amnesty, CRAWN Trust, among others, they asked that the president keep his commitment to the women of Kenya, “In view of the fact that the appointments made so far to Cabinet Secretary, Principle Secretary and National Police Service are in blatant violation of the constitution, he should submit a new list that caters to gender, youth, persons with disabilities and even ethnic inclusion,” they said.
They said they were concerned by parliament’s inaction over the appointments.“Parliament conducted a vetting process for a cabinet that does not meet the constitutional threshold of two-thirds.” They said they were equally concerned that the 13th Parliament had not set out a roadmap to implement the two-thirds gender rule at the assembly. The groups called on parliament to fast-track the enactment of a two-thirds gender rule framework to make it much more impactful.
“We remind parliament of existing court orders on the matter, including the Chief Justice Emeritus Maraga advisory opinion of 2020,” they said. The public has raised questions over President Ruto's cabinet and State department appointments which have all failed to meet the gender threshold. There have also been questions of regional balance in his appointments.