Members of Parliament are likely to be sent home earlier than expected following a High Court ruling on Wednesday.

High Court Judge John Mavito gave the National Assembly 60 days to implement the two-thirds gender rule or face dissolution.

Judge Mavito also directed the Attorney General and parliament to enact legislation on this.

In his ruling, the judge granted an order declaring that Parliament and the Senate jointly failed to perform their duty and thus violating gender rights.

He said anyone can petition Chief Justice David Maraga to advise the President to dissolve Parliament if the law is not passed.

Last year, the National Assembly failed to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill of 2015 that sought to ensure that no gender occupies more than two-thirds of the Parliamentary seats.

Gender numbers in Parliament

The Bill, which required 233 (two thirds) members to vote in favour for it to proceed to the third reading stage, failed to meet the required threshold after only 195 out of the 233 members present voting in support.

To achieve the two thirds gender principle envisaged in the Constitution, the current Parliament needs 117 women out of the total Members of Parliament.

With 47 women representatives, four nominated and 16 elected women, the National Assembly has only 67 women, which is 50 short of the required 117.

On Monday, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga stated that if the National Super Alliance (NASA) forms the next government, they will ensure the two-thirds gender rule is effected.

Speaking at a meeting for ODM women leaders and aspirants at the Multimedia University, Raila said Kenya had come of age and that it was high time political parties embraced the culture of tolerance towards women and encouraged them to go for elective positions to achieve the two-thirds gender requirement in leadership.