It seems women cannot win at anything in Kenya. Just a few days ago an MP was being bashed for speaking her mind on sex, and just recently after yet another attack on a female MP we are left to wonder whether Kenyans will ever see past Misogyny and Patriachy going on in all parts of the country espcially in leadership positions.
On Wednesday a dramatic parliamentary session took place after Kwale Women Rep Zuleikha Hassan came to the parliamentary sessions with her 5-month-old baby. This sparked up a debate on social media as to how women are treated with some Kenyans applauding the act while others condemning it altogether .
So now we are kicking women MPs out of parliament because they came to work with a child.
The legislator in question is Kwale Woman Rep Zuleika Hassan. pic.twitter.com/bgJ9MMJOxZ
— Wamathai (@Wamathai) August 7, 2019
During the session, The speaker, Christopher Omulele asked Ms Hassan to leave parliamentary chambers saying it was not the right place for her to take care of the baby.
“You have the right to take care of the baby but this is not the place to do that. I therefore order that you instantly withdraw from the chamber,” said Omulele.
However, other female MPs defended Ms Hassan asking her to stay put. This did not go well for them, as the speaker ordered the sergeant-at-arms to forcefully evict Ms Hassan who left the Parliament chambers accompanied by female MPs in a show of solidarity.
In her defense, Ms Hassan said she had an emergency which forced her to come with her baby to Parliament.
“My baby is not an atomic bomb and she cannot explode. It is unfair that I miss work just because I came with a baby,” Hassan said.
The debacle has left many questions pertaining to the The Bill passed through a motion by Murang’a Women Rep Sabina Chege in May 2017 which was passed a month later which stated that employers are expected to provide a clean room equipped with a refrigerator to store breastmilk, a comfortable chair and an area for changing the baby.
They are also required to provide the mothers with an approximated 40-minute break every four hours to facilitate breastfeeding.
This is what Duale had to say 🤦🏾♂️.
My goodness. pic.twitter.com/7u5kzRjSZx
— Wamathai (@Wamathai) August 7, 2019
In Kenya, few companies provide female employees with breastfeeding stations which often leads to them quitting the workforce or stopping breastfeeding altogether.
The companies with breastfeeding stations include Safaricom, Kenya Women Microfinance Bank, Nestle, Mabati Rolling Mills, International Medical Corps and Kenya Red Cross. Others are World Vision, ICRAF, EKA Hotels, Seven Seas Technologies, Isuzu East Africa, Davis & Shirtliff among others.
Check out some of the reactions from Kenyan netizens on the matter.
Someone buy this man a drink. He was the only man who came out to support her.
He is Peter Kaluma, the
Homa Bay MP. pic.twitter.com/Zj2fO5IGlG— Wamathai (@Wamathai) August 7, 2019
