President William Ruto expressed concern about the gender makeup of the Pending Bills Verification Committee that National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Prof Njuguna Ndung’u unveiled on Tuesday.
Addressing the committee’s inauguration at State House, Nairobi, President Ruto criticized it as “unconstitutional,” highlighting that it falls short of meeting the two-thirds gender threshold.
“Before I make very brief remarks let me just assist my CS with some housekeeping manenos. I am not a very good mathematician but being a scientist, I know something about maths. When I looked at the composition of the committee it was clear to me that it was unconstitutional because it lacked the gender balance,” said Ruto.
Dr Ruto suggested that CS Prof Ndung’u either decrease the representation of men in the 20-member committee or increase the number of women to adhere to the two-thirds gender rule.
“There are only 4 women out of a whole committee of 20. So, I respectfully suggest Mr Minister that you either reduce the number of men or add the number of women so that it is constitutional.
“It is time we begin to live in accordance with the principles of the constitution without paying reap service.” Ruto declared.
Chaired by former Auditor General Edward Ouko, the committee will audit the government’s pending bills accumulated from 2005 to 2022.
It will comprise the Attorney General, along with representatives from the State Department of Roads, the State Department of Public Works, the State Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority.
Additionally, members from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Law Society of Kenya, the Institute of Engineers of Kenya, and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya will be included in the team.
