Democracy and gender-equity

When Mohammed Issack Hassan suggested that one-third of all elective seats be contested by women only, and that a formula be found to pick which seats would be contest by women candidates only, I thought that it was his alter-ego speaking. The question of gender-equity has exercised the minds of operatives in the civil society and the government for at least a decade and, barring one or two sound ideas, it is always presumed that given Kenya's patriarchy, women would be the main beneficiaries of affirmative action oriented towards guaranteeing them a seat at the table. Mr Hassan's suggestion, however, raises certain fundamental questions.

No one disputes the right of the people to elect the representatives of their own choice, but when it is suggested that their choice be limited to members of one gender, the spectre of guided democracy becomes rather real. Presidents Moi and Kenyatta believed in guided democracy, that the people were not smart enough to make good choices and that it was the party, or the President, who was in a better position to understand their needs and to take the appropriate action to meet those needs. Mr Hassan's suggestion is that in those select constituencies the people will be better off if the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, or some other public body, would be better placed to determine who would best represent their interests in the National assembly, the Senate, and the County Assemblies. Their right to choose their representative would be limited to the voting process but not in the choice of who is best for them.

It is also unclear whether the elected members of that particular gender would continue to enjoy special privileges when it comes to their duties in the legislative bodies or whether they would represent only the interests of their constituents of the same gender. It also remains unclear whether they will also demand a similar proportion f all appointive jobs in the legislatures and how they would measure these jobs' relative prestige in their demands. This also brings to mind the question of whether to reserve one-third of the governorships and deputy-governorships to members of this gender. Such affirmative action would also require criteria to formulated to determine which county would face such a requirement and which would not. Finally, the question of whether such affirmative action would be a permanent feature or would have a sunset clause need to be answered, or indeed, whether it would be rotational such that a county or constituency that has not faced such reservations would be compelled to go through the same requirement as any that have in the past.

Of course it is abhorrent that women have been locked out of decision-making in and out of government since Kenya became a republic, only being used to rubber-stamp decisions that ave been taken by men. The reasons why are complex, but the solution is not the use of patently undemocratic means to achieve parity. In fact, for things to change, society must accept that women have often received the short end of the stick. No statistics or opinion pols exist that demonstrate that Kenyans are ready for such a draconian measure to elevate women in government. But a consensus exists that this is now a problem and that a solution is required. Perhaps the solution can be found in the rules themselves. If one-third of all elected representatives are to be women, perhaps then of all elected representatives, one-third could be nominated to make u the numbers. This way, they could demonstrate their leadership activities, raise the profile of women leaders and eventually ensure hat in the political arena they receive a fair shake. This rule could also apply to all appointed offices: it must be made mandatory that in public appointments, women receive one-third of all appointments at all levels, taking care to ensure that they are not quarantined in one sector alone.

The decision to reserve public offices to women must be made in the knowledge that if we do not reform the manner in which women are viewed, affirmative action in their favour may fail to establish them as equals in public service. The change must be led by recognising and appreciating their contribution to public life and ensuring that Kenyan society no longer places a premium on the male child alone. A paradigm shift in the manner i which women are perceived is necessary. Change the mind, change the country.