The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has given all political parties until Monday May 9 to comply with the two-third gender rule or risk being locked out of the August 9 general election.
The IEBC stated in a statement to newsrooms that it was enforcing the gender ban on political parties, which was established by a 2017 court order.
“Pursuant to court order issued in constitutional petition no. 19 of 2017 in Katiba Institute vs IEBC, the commission received lists of nominated candidates for the position of members of the National Assembly and Senate from 81 political parties respectively on 28th April 2022,” the commission said in a statement.
The electoral body however stated that upon evaluation of the lists of nominated candidates, 48 parties that filed lists of nominated candidates for senators and 38 parties that submitted lists of nominated candidates for the national assembly complied with the two-thirds gender norm.
“Therefore the commission calls on political parties that have not complied with the said court order on two-thirds gender principle to submit revised lists not later than Monday 9th May 2022 at 11.59 pm,” it said.
The two-thirds gender rule stipulates that political parties must submit lists of nominees in which no more than two-thirds are of one gender.
The current parliament failed to reach the target with former Chief Justice David Maraga advising President Uhuru to disband the parliament back in 2020.
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