NAIROBI, Kenya – Former nominated senator Gloria Orwoba has criticised the Senate and political parties over what she described as the failure to hold nominated senator Karen Nyamu accountable after making inappropriate remarks about a young female student during a Senate sitting.
The controversy stemmed from comments Nyamu made on March 25, 2026, while the Senate was welcoming a student participating in a school volunteering and experiential learning programme.
Standing before the Senate, Nyamu asked the Speaker to clarify what services the minor was bringing to the House, saying some male senators appeared visibly excited.
The remarks were later condemned as inappropriate and disrespectful toward a minor visiting Parliament.
Although the Senate Speaker ordered the comments expunged from the Hansard and Nyamu was compelled to issue an apology to the student, the Senate and the public, Orwoba argued that the punishment did not match the seriousness of the incident.
“When I speak about the Senate of Kenya, believe me. I told you, two years ago, that SEX FOR WORK is very rampant at the Senate,” Orwoba said while reacting to the matter.
She said the case exposed deeper problems within Parliament, especially regarding how leaders interact with students and young women attending official programmes at the Senate.
“Imagine getting excited as a parent, watching your teenage daughter, a minor, being introduced by the speaker of the senate and then a Nominated Senator; nominated to the Senate to represent women and girls, stands up and insinuates to the world that your daughter has come to offer sex to the Senators,” she said.
“This is what Senator Karen Nyamu did.”
Orwoba questioned why Nyamu was not subjected to disciplinary action despite public outrage over the remarks.
“She was not suspended, not called to the powers and privilege committee and charged (via suo moto) with bringing shame to the Senate, she was not called for disciplinary by her nominating party or removed from office because of defying the party’s constitution which pledges to abide by the law,” she stated.
“She was simply asked to read an apology which she went ahead to joke about and even tried to evade.”
According to Orwoba, party loyalty often prevents leaders from facing consequences, even in serious cases.
“When you tell me that Nominated Senators must be loyal to the party, I want you to remember this, ‘loyal to the party’ can sometimes mean that you promote criminal activities. One must know where to draw the line,” she added.
The incident reignited debate about standards of conduct in Parliament and whether nominated leaders are shielded from accountability because of political affiliations.
