Team Embrace wants BBI to address gender, sexual violence
Embrace Team, a women leaders lobby group want the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report to address femicide, sexual and gender-based violence.
They have also called for inclusivity and full implementation of the gender rule in order to realize the 50-50 gender principle.
Speaking at 4th regional BBI consultative meeting held in Kitui County, Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, Makueni Deputy Governor Adelina Mwau and over 30 MPs said women bear the brunt of violence in the society.
This is despite that chapter 4 of the constitution ring fences the rights of women and other marginalized groups from any form of freedom, indiscrimination and equality of all persons.
“We are concerned as women of Kenya, the desperation at each time we experience violence that is evidenced and meted on women of Kenya,” they said in their recommendations read by Nairobi County Speaker Beatrice Elachi.
“We are also the main victims in the increased cases of femicide, sexual and gender based violence,” Elachi added.
The politicians insisted that BBI reports strongly recommended the opposite gender rule adaption in all organs of county and national levels of governments.
The BBI taskforce has recommended that the running mate of every candidate for the position of governor be of the opposite gender.
This proposal means that more women would be at the helm of county leadership as either governors or deputies.
The BBI report further recommends that parties should be compelled through the Political Parties Act to be consistent with the Constitution to meet the two-thirds gender rule and other constitutional measures of inclusion through party lists.
“This will equalize both genders in political terms, rather than creating a parallel system that creates a sense of tokenism,” the report points out.
The women leader’s resolutions were handed to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Makueni Women Representative Rose Museu and Agnes Muthama who are members of BBI taskforce.
On corruption, they said more should be put in place to end the vice stating that that anyone with a graft case should not be allowed to lead or contest.
Ms Elachi was flanked by MPs Mishi Mboko (Likoni), Rachel Nyamai (Kiyui South), Eveline Obala (Kasipul), Lilian Gogo (Rangwe), and Women reps Fatuma Gedi (Wajir), Rosa Buyu (Kisumu), Kamene Kasimbi (Machakos), Irene Kasalu (Kitui) among others.
On Divisive elections, the legislators proposed a mixed member bropropriate representation through party list which described as good and progressive in the quest for gender equality.
The politicians also backed a proposal for formation of a health service commission to deal with human resource in the sector and realised the 15 percent of the Abuja declaration.
Abuja declaration states that African Union countries ought to set a target of allocating at least 15 per cent of their annual budget to improve health.
In food security, they called for the implementation of food safety and security standards insisting that it must be reinforced and to enact food and security bill currently before parliament.
Host and Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu held that BBI is the answer to inclusivity, which will improve representation both in County and national government, not just among women, but youth as well.
The women further want 45 per cent of the national budget to go to counties.
The BBI report seeks to increase resources to the 47 counties to at least 35 per cent of the devolved units’ equitable share of the revenue.
Currently, counties get not less than 15 per cent of the equitable share of revenue raised nationally by the national revenue
