For the better part of Wednesday, a section of female legislators staged protests in parliament in an attempt to persuade their male counterparts to support the controversial Gender Bill which has flopped in the house several times.
Led by Nairobi Women Representative Esther Passaris and her Homa Bay Counterpart Gladys Wanga, the female legislators threatened to curtail referendum quest, adding that it will only make significance if 2/3 gender rule is passed.
Earlier, Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, who has been leading campaigns against the bill, insisted that he will ensure it fails in parliament.
"I hereby reiterate This afternoon #GenderBillMustFall," said Kuria on Facebook, adding that women should courageously compete with men.
Ms Passaris made a passionate appeal to the countries leadership, urging it to come out strong and support the bill, which was made mandatory by Kenya's 2010 constitution.
"Your Excellencies @UKenyatta, @RailaOdinga, @WilliamsRuto, the 2/3 Gender Bill is your moment of truth! It's disappointing that your support for the Women Agenda does not reflect on the floor of the House," she wrote on Twitter.
However, the bill was defeated in the assembly technically following a quorum hitch after only 174 MPs turned up instead of requisite 233. Blogger Robert Alai claimed that only 31 female MPs were present.
"Out of 76 female MPs, only 31 are currently in parliament despite them knowing that the #GenderBill was coming up for debate. Women are the enemies of themselves," he said.
Following the defeat, the female parliamentarians could wage a tough war on the referendum question, should it be brought before 2022.ODM leader Raila Odinga has often insisted that the country's governance structure should be changed before 2022, adding that referendum is inevitable.
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