constitution of kenya review commission (ckrc ... - ConstitutionNet

women termed as property. We desire that women be captured and particularly their role in the development of this nation.
We want women to be confirmed as citizenry. When we are talking about citizenship, we are looking at a woman, particularly
a married woman, wherby a woman gets married, and after the husband dies, the woman seems to move from one end, from
her parents’ side to the marital home. She doesn’t seem to be a Kenyan citizen. There is nobody who comes to her defense.
We are seeking that the Government put into the system, a situation where women will feel that they are citizens, and they are
given the citizenship rights.
As far as security is concerned, the security of women is not there right from the home. We are seeking that we be establish a
situation where we erase all unhelpful cultural practices, for example, wife battering. There should be a court where husbands
who batter their wives are presented, and are answerable. We suggested that such a man should be given six months
imprisonment, after which, the wife should be given security to see to it that he takes up his husbandry roles in the home, without
thinking that he can chase away the wife after that.
As far as the security in the country is concerned, women felt that it should be ensured that women are secure socially and even
nationally. Women are not able to participate in public affairs because there is this name, ‘prostitution’. Any woman who
comes up to talk or to present views is seen as a prostitute. They felt that this word, once addressed to a woman should be
termed as a crime, and unless a man, who was prostituting with this woman comes forth then, the man or the one who was
uttering that word should be brought to court, so that the women are empowered to say what they feel about themselves and
about this nation, so that together we can build a Kenya.
As far as the Government is concerned, the women felt that a system should be established where power is shared between the
President and the Prime Minister, one of whom must be a woman. If the President is a man, the Prime Minister should be a
woman, and vice visa. They also felt that a unitary system should be adapted. This will help all the societies, all the ethnic
groups in Kenya, to be equally represented.
Looking into Parliament, the women felt that the Parliament should be empowered, since they are the representives of the
citizens, to resolve all national issues.
They also felt that in Parliament, at least a third of the members should be women. Here we mean, in a group of ten, three
should be women, one of whom should be disabled, or a widow. They also felt that citizens should be empowered to recall
MPs that do not perform, and they should not necessarily wait for five years. The first two years are enough to assess the
performance of a person. They be allowed only two years, and if and by the third year he is not performing, then the public or
the electorate should recall him).
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