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POLL: Are Men Allowed To Vie for Woman Rep Positions?
We’ve been seeing posters on social media of men purporting to vie for woman rep positions.
First things first. Is it women’s representative or woman representative? When we figure out that, I think the confusion will go away.
In my simple understanding of the queen’s language, Women representative means an individual (any gender) representing women.
Woman representative, on the other hand, means specifically a woman representing someone or a group of people (not just women), in this context the county.
The Kenyan constitution (2010) article 97 on the membership of the National Assembly states:
(1) The National Assembly consists of–
(a) two hundred and ninety members, each elected by the registered voters of single member constituencies;
(b) forty-seven women, each elected by the registered voters of the counties, each county constituting a single member constituency;
(c) twelve members nominated by parliamentary political parties according to their proportion of members of the National Assembly in accordance with Article 90, to represent special interests including the youth, persons
with disabilities and workers; and
(d) the Speaker, who is an ex officio member.
(2) Nothing in this Article shall be construed as excluding any person from contesting an election under clause (1) (a).
So, did the constitution envisage a women rep or a woman rep? I think it’s pretty straight forward. The position is reserved for members of the female gender.
But what do you think?
Source: Nairobi Wire
