On Valentine’s Day 2023, Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba walked into Parliament heads up, in a white suit and green top, but to top it all, a red stain on her white trousers.
Speaking to the press before she got into the chambers, she revealed how shocked she was when a bunch of women came to cover her at the parking lot just as she walked out of her car.
For Orwoba, it was one of her ways to champion the need to end period stigma which was one of the things she set out to do when she assumed office.
However, her gesture was not universally well received. Some Senators did not take it well.
Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina believed Orwoba was putting on a show and was not genuine in what she wanted to achieve.
Even female politicians criticised the lengths that Orwoba had gone to as Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja led the charge.
“Mr. Speaker in regards to rule number five in regards to the dress code I would like to seek if Senator Gloria is appropriately dressed,” Senator Tabitha posed.
“As a woman, I find it very uncomfortable and very inappropriate for our colleague Senator Gloria to step in, and you know you don’t understand if she is in her normal woman cycle or she is faking it,” Senator Karanja posed.
The whole episode came a day before she presented a motion that she hoped would bring an end to period stigma and poverty.
Through her efforts, Orwoba was advocating for free sanitary towels for school-going children.
She would later reveal that her advocacy against period stigma started way before she became a legislator.
The Nicotine Pouch Saga
Parliament was treated to a spectacle earlier in the year when Nominated MP Sabina Chege brandished a particular brand of nicotine pouch in the house.
At the time, MPs were grilling Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha on what the government had been doing to protect Kenyans from what they believed to be a health disaster in the waiting.
Since most MPs were not familiar with the whole issue, Chege brandished the pouch to demonstrate and drive her point home.
“I have them, I have not opened them,” Sabina said while brandishing the pouch.
“Members can just cross over. You can see but do not open them because it's addictive” she stated.
The MPs became disorderly as each one of them tussled to get a glimpse.
“Kindly withdraw the product from showing the members so that you can hear the response, and I think you can do that later after the CS leaves,” the Speaker for the session intervened to restore order.
