Ummy Nderiananga, deputy minister for Policy, Parliament and Coordination in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), tabled the bill on its second reading on Tuesday, where some MPs expressed the view that legally protecting women against bullying shall enhance their involvement in active politics.
Debating the bill, MPs noted that acts of corruption bearing on sex of an aspirant should also be considered as an election offence, where an amended law highlights penalties for convicted offenders.
Selemani Zedi (Bukene), a member of the Legal Affairs, Administration and Constitution standing committee, argued that gender discrimination against female politicians is rampant especially during elections.
The committee learnt that gender discrimination offences were left out in the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Bill, 2023, he said, asserting that this is among the weaknesses of the bill.
The committee decided to draft a shadow amendment that proposes adding a new section recognising all sorts of gender discrimination during elections as election offences, he stated.
“In this case, there is a new marginal note on section 135 of the bill that states that all proven discrimination offenders will be liable to a prison sentence of not less than six months and not exceeding two years or to a fine of not less than 2m/- and not exceeding 5m/- or both,” he elaborated.
Jesca Msambatavangu, (Iringa Urban), said that she had several times faced gender discrimination where she was derided as being unmarried or that she didn't deserve to be a political leader.
“Women in politics go through a lot of gender discrimination to become MPs or councillors,” she said, pointing at the use of abusive language, pranks and sextortion as among defects facing women pursuing their political dreams,” she added.
Miraji Mtaturu, (Singida East) said that gender equality should be explicitly embraced in the law for true socio-economic development to be realised, stressing that there are a lot of competent women out there who can become good political leaders.
But due to harassment and discrimination they are scared away, so the legislature needs to act to protect women through endorsing the suggested amendments, he stated.
Anne Kilango (Same East) narrated how she found herself a victim of gender discrimination when campaigning in 2015, with explicit insinuations “in broad daylight at a political rally by her adversaries of being disobedient and unfaithful to her husband,” implying therefore that she didn’t deserve to be elected.
“I had to go to the same place and show citizens the scar of burns on my back that my ex-husband had inflicted on me with a hot iron,” she elaborated, showing the humiliating explanations she had to give for the public to understand the grievances she went through in her first marriage.
Had there been a law that protects women against discrimination during campaigns she wouldn’t have to go through such pains, the veteran legislator intoned.
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