Narc Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua has called out Senators over the decision to suspend nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba.
In a statement on Thursday, September 21, Karua said that Senate’s move to suspend Orwoba manifests unfairness and an attempt to gag women voicing their grievances.
According to Karua, the Senate should have examined Orwoba’s claims thoroughly to avoid a trend where victims are discouraged to speak up.
Further, Karua criticized the Senate’s rush to make the decision noting that the house should have considered dismissing her charges if she failed to substantiate.
“This matter requires in-depth examination lest we forever shut up victims of sexual harassment in Senate and the National Assembly which is said to be on the rise,” she stated.
“This is patriarchy silencing women on matters sexual harassment”.
Karua on Language
Additionally, Karua accused some members of the house of using paternalistic language during the debate on her suspension.
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She noted that using such language would intimidate young female senators and is unacceptable.
Moreover, the statement by the Narc Kenya party leader came a day after the Senate approved the recommendations of the Power and Privileges Committee to suspend Orwoba for six months.
This followed a series of investigations into her sexual harassment accusations targeting a senior Senate official.
During the debate on the committee’s final report, Senators were divided with a section defending Orwoba while others termed the claims as dangerous.
Senator Orwoba’s Defense
In her defense, Orwoba maintained that she was a victim of unfair treatment as a young and new legislator.
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While addressing how the Senate prosecuted her case, the nominated Senator complained that she was not given a chance to present her side of the story.
Furthermore, Orwoba claimed that other members of the house were facing similar challenges but chose to keep quite due to intimidation.
With the suspension, Orwoba- who is set to stay out until at least February 2024, now risks losing her seat due to missing consecutive number of sittings.
