A photo of a footballer who was captured breastfeeding her baby at halftime while dressed in her team’s kit has gone viral.
On March 11, Kenyans.co.ke tracked Winnie Wangui Kamau following the photo that has elicited debate about different struggles mothers face while raising children.
“The image was captured during a match between her team Njabini Women and Karangatha women, organised by Nyandarua Woman Rep Faith Gitau to celebrate International Women’s Day,” explained Wangui.
The 23-year-old single mother lives with her grandmother after the child’s father abandoned her. When not playing for the Morvel Dadas, she sells airtime to make ends meet.
Sports personality Carol Radull has announced that she intends to visit Winnie in the company of other football enthusiasts.
The photo showed the need to have designated places where nursing mothers can breastfeed or express milk.
The Breastfeeding Mothers Bill of 2019 makes it compulsory for all persons who own, lease or rent buildings holding at least 50 people to provide a lactation room.
The room, according to the bill should be, “a clean, private facility with a baby changing table, waste bucket and a sign indicating its location.”
Kisumu Starlets FC Team Manager Beryl Monique told Kenyans.co.ke that the moment captured in Winnie’s picture is not new as many of her players often find themselves in similar situations.
“Only a few grounds where women play have changing facilities such as Moi Stadium in Kisumu and Barclays Bank Sports Club in Nairobi,” she said, adding that female players sometimes have to change their babies’ diapers under trees.
Monique regretted that women playing in the premier league did not receive as much help as their male counterparts, adding that oftentimes they had to foot their own expenses due to the lack of sponsorship.
“We are only lucky because as the only women's team representing Kisumu, Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o supports Kisumu Starlets FC,” Beryl said.
In the corporate world, things are not much better because only a handful of private and public organisations have lactation rooms, with most breastfeeding mothers returning to work after three-month maternity leave but forced to express milk in their cars, office washrooms or boardrooms.
A 2019 report by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance showed that only 37 companies have lactation rooms underlining the dire situation.
In 2020, Kenyans.co.ke highlighted the story of a woman who was kicked out of church for breastfeeding.
"When it was time for communion, my child started crying and as others stood up to line up, I remained on my seat and breastfed him.
"The person who was leading the activity asked me to stand and I explained that I couldn't since my child was still feeding. By that time, everyone had stopped what they were doing and stared at me. The church leader gave me a choice to either comply or walk out, that was the longest walk of my life," Beatrice who was then in her late 30s explained.
