MPs walk out of chamber denying numbers on two third gender Bill

The vote on the highly debated two-thirds gender bill flopped following a quorum hitch.

Members of Parliament are said to have walked out and only 164 legislators were present during the vote.

Speaker Justin Muturi declared the motion on the two third gender rule as "Lost" after the House raised 174 members which is below the 233 requisite number required for a Constitutional (Amendment) Bill to be voted for.

Lack of quorum

Manual counting confirmed that there were only 174 Members in the chamber. This number, however, does not meet the threshold required to undertake the vote on this bill. 

The bill which is provided for in article 81(b) of the constitution, was deferred last year after majority leader Aden Duale argued that there was no quorum in the house to proceed with the vote.

This was the fourth attempt by the National Assembly to enact the the gender Bill after Duale deferred to allow for more consultations in 2018.

Petition to dissolve Parliament

During a debate in Parliament, the lawmakers raised concerns that the bill did not provide a formula for the nomination of MPs to Parliament.

The Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (Kewopa) has been lobbying male legislators to support the bill.

After the failure to pass the bill, the House could be in a tight spot as anyone can petition the High Court to have it dissolved by the President on the advice of the Chief Justice.