120 Days to Change: ODM offers Ruto a solution to his cabinet gender crisis

Addressing the press on Thursday, July 2, ODM Acting Secretary General,Catherine Omanyo said the party has no shortage of competent women leaders who are ready to take up national leadership positions if called upon.

Catherine, said the party has several qualified women who are capable of serving as Cabinet Secretaries should Ruto conduct a reshuffle.

The acting SG singled out ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga herself and MPs Rosa Buyu, Elsie Muhanda and Beth Syengo among the women she believes possess the experience and expertise required to serve in Cabinet.

"Right from my part, Chairperson Gladys Wanga, I am here myself, so many people, the likes of Rosa Buyu, Elsie Muhanda and Beth Syengo. We are spoilt for choice," said the Busia Woman Rep.

"These are powerful women. They are knowledgeable, and it is just sometimes we delay bringing on board people who can help the nation transform in the right direction," she added.

Her remarks come two days after a three-judge bench of the High Court declared that the current Cabinet violates the Constitution for failing to meet the two-thirds gender principle.

When the ruling was delivered on July 1, 2026, the judges found that the current Cabinet does not comply with Article 27(8) of the Constitution, which requires that no more than two-thirds of members of appointive public bodies be of the same gender.

The ruling followed a petition filed by the Katiba Institute, the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW) and Transparency International Kenya, who challenged the legality of the Cabinet constituted after the 2024 dismissals and subsequent appointments.

She argued that the court reached the correct decision, insisting that women should not be viewed as beneficiaries of gender parity but as capable leaders who can drive meaningful change in government.

"So the court was right, and women have never been baggage. It is never about inclusion. It is about transformation. Anytime you put women in places that need help, you will realise that the women absorb the women," she stated.

The court directed the President to reconstitute his Cabinet within four months (120 days) to ensure compliance.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party now says it is ready to front some of its members to fill cabinet slots following a court ruling requiring President William Ruto to comply with the constitutional two-thirds gender rule.