Dramatic scenes were witnessed at the National Assembly, on Wednesday, after Kwale Woman Representative, Zuleikha Hassan, was thrown out for walking in with a baby.
The presiding Speaker, Chris Omulele, ordered both her and her lactating 5-month-old baby to be kicked out of the house.
Omulele maintained that he was faced with no other choice, as it was against the standing orders of the house for any member to bring along a toddler.
“I had an emergency, I have to come to work, we have two sessions today a morning and afternoon one. Parliament in 2013, the psc passed that we should have a room, a creche where we can breastfeed our child,” Zulekha explained.
Her female colleagues backed her up, chanting ‘ a baby is not an atomic bomb’, going on to question why private space for breastfeeding parliamentarians hadn’t been created, despite PSC’s recommendation 6 years ago.
The Woman Rep stood her ground outside parliament, making it clear that it was the first time she had brought her child to the National Assembly, as she had an emergency in the morning which forced her into the move.
In a show of solidarity, her colleagues termed move to kick her out as barbaric and archaic, going on to challenge the House to carry out the 2013 orders.
Homa Bay Town MP, Peter Kaluma, was also kicked out of Parliament after he backed Zuleikha’s stand, going on to vocally advocate for her right to breastfeed.
The incident, which has sparked a debate, coincidentally happened during the world breastfeeding week, with some questioning the timing of the entire fiasco.
She, however, remained adamant that she hadn’t planned it, but rather fell victim to a situation that forced her to bring her third child to the House.
