Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa has been condemned over his recent remarks regarding the suspended Gender Bill proposal.
Opposing the bill on Tuesday, Barasa termed it useless to bring in more female representatives into the house, saying that it will only bring in slay queens without any benefit for the nation.
Barasa based his argument on the lack of a clear formula with which the new leaders will be nominated, adding that party leaders will take advantage of it to award their cronies, relatives and girlfriends.
“I ask my fellow MPs to reject this Bill as it is because it does not give an opportunity for the rural woman to choose who will represent them in Parliament. It instead grants political parties’ leadership powers to bring slay queens through nominations," he was quoted by the Citizen Digital.
But in an interview on Radio Jambo’s ‘Mazungumzo Waziwazi’ on Saturday, Suba North lawmaker Millie Odhiambo took issue with the remarks, accusing Barasa of disrespecting women.
He bashed the youthful parliamentarian for using the nomination procedure to deny women the priviledge, wondering why he is not using his legislative seat to introduce it.
‘’Haya maneno ya kuita wanawake slay queen ni maneno ya kipuzi. Na kama anaona hakuna mikakati maalum ya uteuzi mbona asitumie ubunge wake kuleta?
(it is wrong to refer to women as slay queens, on the other hand, why not use his powers to introduce a nomination procedure which he says is lacking?),’’ she said.
The voting on the Garissa Township Aden Duale-sponsored amendment bill seeking to implement the two thirds gender rule was slated for Wednesday this week.
However, it has since been postponed to February next year.