Is Alfred Keter in his right senses or the legislator is just being mean when it comes to women?
Calls to pass the 2/3 gender bill seem not to have moved the Nandi Hills legislator with the now fierce deputy President’s critic now downplaying the importance of passing the bill.
According to Keter, the country has more pressing issues that need to be looked at and not the 2/3 gender bill that has already caught the attention of Key political players led by President Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto and Raila Odings.
Alfred Keter says that Kenyans want those involved in the maize and fertiliser scandals persecuted and prices resolved.
“We want DP Ruto’s office investigated over the maize importation and brokers who were illegally paid instead of farmers. Stop telling us about 2022 politics and gender balance…..what balance? We are not balancing anything. Balance things to do with maize, fertiliser and roads first,” Keter lamented.
Keter has been seen as the whistle blower in the now famous maize scandal with the Nandi Hills legislator alongside his friends in the form of Joshua Kutuny and Silas Tiren claiming that the deputy President is the mastermind behind the scandal.
The three legislators have claimed that Ruto has a well calculated plan that has even included discouraging people from the Rift Valley from engaging in Maize farming and instead adopt avocado and macadamia farming.
According to Keter, Ruto cannot tell people to engage in Avocado and Macadamia farming without telling people what happened to the maize.
“You can’t be telling us to plant avocados, plant macadamia but you are not telling us what happened to maize…Now you have gone even to Congo. You are growing 500,000 acres of maize,” said Keter without producing any evidence.
Keter and other legislators are expected to lead a massive opposition against the 2/3 gender bill, a move that will surely worry Kenyan woman who have had the bill thrown out before.
Deputy President William Ruto has on his part urged the leadership of the House avoid politicising the bill issue adding that: “Our women who form 50 percent of our country’s population deserve an opportunity to be enjoined in the leadership of our great nation.”
Former PM Raila Odinga has also urged Members of Parliament to support the two thirds gender rule Bill.
The Bill will come before the House for the second time after it was shot down the first time in a well-calculated move where male MPs embargoed the vote thereby denying the obligatory numbers to have it pass.
“Raila Odinga urges all members of parliament to stand up for the Constitution and for women by voting for the Bill when it comes up this week,” reads the statement sent by the former premier’s spokesperson Dennis Onyango.
Is Alfred Keter right to oppose the 2/3 gender bill on grounds that the country has more pressing issues to look at?