Nairobi Woman Representative, Esther Passaris, created a stir in parliament on Thursday evening after she walked into the chambers carrying a backpack.
The MPs, led by the Majority Leader Aden Duale, expressed their concern over the contents of the bag.
"Mr Speaker sir, Honorable Passaris is carrying a ransack, a big bag, I do not know how the Sergeant-at-Arms allowed her in. We are not safe here Mr. speaker, she needs to show that bag. She is like someone going on a safari. Can you (Passaris) show the handbag?" Duale inquired.
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi asked Passaris to give an explanation on why she carried such a humongous bag to parliament.
"I do not know why the majority leader is watching my every move, he started from my thermos and now my handbag. I have a problem with my back, a disk slipped and my medical doctor told me to balance the weight. That is why I am using a backpack and not a handbag." the Nairobi Woman Representative explained.
She went on to inform the MPs that she had passed through the Sergeant-at-Arms and she was cleared to enter the house with the bag.
"I will tell honourable Duale that my bag is not a security threat and the contents in it are private and I will not allow him to check it," she added.
Muturi was satisfied with the explanation and allowed her to sit.
"That is sufficient reason if the bag has been confirmed not to carry a weapon mass destruction, then all is well," he said amidst roars of laughter from the MPs.
Minority leader, John Mbadi, however, stood and asked the speaker to issue the legislators with clear directions on the kind of bags they should carry to the parliament.
"Mr Speaker sir, kindly give us directions so that we be clear on which kinds of bags are admissible to the House. Very soon members will come here carrying very big sacks and I am sure that will not be good," he implored the head of the Assembly.
Kitui South MP, Dr Rachel Nyamai, cracked the entire house by posing a question to Duale.
"I have been following his (Duale) eyes. He has followed Mama Passaris ever since she walked into this house. May he make it clear. Was he was focusing on the bag or on honourable Passaris?"
At this point, Suba North MP, Millie Odhiambo, stood and gave her opinion.
"Honorable speaker, is it now a matter of the parliament to give our bags gender? Let us get directions as honourable Mbadi said and leave my sister Passaris alone," she asserted.
The proceedings continued after the matters cooled down.
