After Kwale woman representative Zulekha Hassan was kicked out of parliament for carrying a baby to the House on Wednesday morning, Kenyans are still condemning the act, citing some other nations which allow women to go with babies in parliament. The MP was kicked out after a short tussle ensued among MPs, as Majority Leader Aden Duale was submitting a motion petitioning the government to resolve the maritime dispute between Kenya and Somalia. He was forced to cut short his submission, and condemned the move by the Kwale MP as gross indiscipline, adding that the dignity of the House must be protected.
However, Homa Bay MP Peter Kaluma and Alego Usoga MP Samuel Atandi tried to protect her. Speaking outside parliament, Zulekha said she had an emergency and she had to carry her baby to Parliament. She said in 2013, the parliamentary service commission passed a law that there had to be a breastfeeding room for women and their babies but it hasn’t happened, “As you ask for more women to come to parliament you need to provide a family friendly atmosphere at work,” she said.
