The difference probably boils down to the voting system

It would be nice if the celebrated Rwandan example can help Kenya solve this one. But it seems a long shot; the problem being how to implement the gender rule in the Constitution stating that no more than two-thirds of members of any institution should come from one gender.One of the major hurdles, it may seem, is in Kenya’s chosen system of voting. We shall come to that.Already there is a multiplicity of options on the table – not less than five – on how to ensure gender parity in the next Parliament after the March 2013 General Elections.One proposal flies in the face of the principle of affirmative action assured in the Constitution. The proposal is to remove the 30 per cent gender rule through an amendment. It need not be said, but this has rubbed women lobbies the wrong way. They have predictably lashed out saying the principle is “sacred” and, therefore, inviolable.Another proposal is to amend the Constitution by removing the maximum number of MPs – 349 in the Lower House and 67 in the Senate – to create room for whatever number of women nominations required to meet the one-third gender rule.Other than resulting in a bloated Parliament with a huge bill to pay, the concern with this is that the House will have too many unelected members “not representing anybody but constitutional requirements”.There is also the cynicism that allowing “political parties to nominate women for the seats will result in sycophants, joyriders and girlfriends of party leaders being nominated to Parliament.”Each suggestion being floated seems to have a real or imagined concern that has made it almost impossible to move forward. Yet it is urgent that implementation of the gender rule is resolved now. Otherwise, with the inevitable delays, Kenya risks a constitutional crisis come the 2013 General Elections.Without the 30 per cent women representation, the elected Parliament will be null and void. The matter is now being taken to the Supreme Court for resolution.Rwanda seems to have arrived at its solution without a fuss. Implementation of its celebrated gender representation is well known. Of the 80 members of the Chamber of Deputies, 53 members are elected by direct universal suffrage using closed list proportional representation. Twenty-four seats are picked through an electoral college with a women only ballot. There are also special seats for the youth and the disabled.The proportional representation model accords the winning party seats in parliament based directly on their share of the vote. Say, if the party has won by 60 per cent of all the votes cast, it gets 60 per cent of the seats in Parliament. Through affirmative action women are assured at least one-third of the seats.By setting aside special seats for women, in addition to employing proportional representation model of voting, Rwanda has been able to garner over 56 per cent representation currently.Kenya’s system of voting is described as “first-by-the-post”, where people vote for who they want and whichever candidate gets the most votes wins. This tends to work against women due to, among others, lack of resources and negative cultural attitudes that discriminate against women. The system does not allow women to compete on an equal footing with men.Given its system of voting as a major factor, how to ensure women gain fair representation is what Kenya is grappling with now. Twitter: @gituram

Opinions

The difference probably boils down to the voting system