Suba South MP: Women Rep seat was never meant to be permanent

Suba South MP Caroli Omondi has sparked fresh debate on the place of the Woman Representative seat in Kenya’s politics, insisting it was never designed to last forever.

Speaking in an interview on Friday, August 29, 2025, Omondi said the Woman Rep seat was never meant to be permanent. He explained that the position was introduced as a temporary affirmative action measure, capped at 20 years in the original draft Constitution.

You might also like

Lifestyle

Sex predators in Trans Nzoia given last warning to change or perish

Entertainment

Justina Syokau makes emotional appeal to Machakos voters days after announcing Woman Rep bid

News

Wamuchomba sarcastically proposes that men take up Woman Rep seats in all 47 counties

Omondi claimed that the 20-year sunset clause mysteriously disappeared during the final drafting stages before promulgation.

“The Woman Rep seat was to expire after 20 years because it was only a transitional measure,” he noted.

He said the intention was to give women political entry points, allowing them to graduate into elective positions after gaining experience and visibility.

According to him, those who participated in the process up to the referendum still remember voting for the clause, but it no longer appears in the final document.

Gender parity debate

The legislator linked the debate on the Women’s Rep seat to the unresolved question of the two-thirds gender rule. He argued that counting the 47 women’s Rep seats in the formula creates what he called a “constitutional absurdity” since affirmative action cannot be applied twice.

Omondi said the gender deficit in Parliament should instead be addressed through the 12 nominated seats and by ensuring more women are elected from the 290 constituencies.

To fix the gap, Omondi proposed compelling political parties to field more women in their strongholds as a condition for receiving state funding.

“If taxpayers finance political parties, then they must deliver gender balance. That’s the simple fix,” he stressed.

The remarks follow an ongoing debate over the future of the Woman Rep position and Kenya’s struggle to fully implement the two-thirds gender rule, 15 years after the Constitution was passed.