President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga were Wednesday seemingly disappointed when Members of Parliament (MPs) failed to pass the Gender Bill despite having urged them to do so.
The two leaders had called upon the MPs to avail themselves in the National Assembly and vote for the Two-Third Gender Laws (Amendment Bill) 2015.
Both Kenyatta and Odinga had urged legislators from both sides of the political divide to put aside their differences and unanimously vote for the Bill.
The CORD leader said: "This is one of those moments when bipartisanship must prevail for national good. There must be no Jubilee or CORD in this matter. I appeal to all Members of Parliament to put aside party and personal difference and vote unanimously for this Bill. History will judge us harshly should our MPs do otherwise."
On the other hand, the Head of State appealed for the same stating: "I urge all MPs from every party to turn up in Parliament and vote for the two-thirds Gender Rule Bill."
The Bill, which required support from 233 legislators to pass, fell short after only 195 members voted in its favour with 28 legislators shooting it down.
A motion which seeks to amend the Constitution must be supported by not less than two-thirds of the House which translates to 233 members.
Expressing their frustration, a section of MPs who were in support of the Bill pleaded with House Speaker Justin Muturi to order for a repeat of the voting process, since some members had violated stipulated procedures for casting their vote.
However, Speaker Muturi dismissed the calls but announced that he would give room for the polls to be carried out again on Thursday next week, urging the members to keep lobbying for more legislators to their side come the voting day.
The proposed law sponsored by National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale seeks to amend the Constitution to permit nomination of women to Parliament, in case the elected members do not meet the two thirds gender rule.
