Senator Gloria Orwoba kicked out of Senate for dressing inappropriately

Senators Gloria Orwoba outside the Senate chambers on February 14th,2023. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba of UDA was kicked out of the Senate's Tuesday session for inappropriate dress code.

The UDA legislator was dressed in a white suit and a green top, however, her trouser was stained with a pinkish substance.

The issue of her dress code was brought to the attention of Speaker Amason Kingi by Tabitha Mutinda also a UDA nominated Senator.

She sought clarification from the Speaker about what constitutes an appropriate dress code in the house saying that Orwoba's dress code was inappropriate and indecent.

"As a woman and as a Senator, I find it very uncomfortable and inappropriate, for our colleague Senator Gloria to step in and you don't understand if she's on the normal woman cycle or it is faking it, and it is so indecent," she said.

Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo said that it was indecent of Senator Orwoba to show the world that she was on her period.

Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua said that the legislators have spouses and female family members who go through cycles and they manage it privately. "It is a matter to be managed personally without exposing it to other people," he said.

He went ahead to describe Senator Orwoba's actions as a disgrace and a lot of shame to the house, asking the Speaker to invoke Standing Orders and kick her out.

In her defence, Senator Orwoba said that she was appropriately dressed, and was only short of a tie. She described the point of order raised by Senator Mutinda as an attack on an accident that is natural to a woman's body.

"I have stained my clothes and at the end of the day I just want to know while we are discussing this issue that is not in the order paper, is it because Senators are not women who have periods," she posed.

She went ahead to describe the issue as part of the period stigma that she said had led to some girls dying by suicide, adding that it is the women who are trying to make it a crime.

"I am shocked that someone can stand here and say that the house has been disgraced because a woman has had her periods," she said.

Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina while responding to Orwoba, said that the content of her speech was picketing and not an address to the house.

Ole Kina went ahead to allege that Orwoba may not have been on her period and was just acting out to pass a message.

He asked the speaker to direct Orwoba to bring a motion on the issue so that it can be debated by the house.

According to Ole Kina, once Senator Orwoba realized that she was on her period and that she had stained her clothes, she should have gone to the bathroom and covered herself.

He added that he was sure if she asked for help from her female colleagues then they would have come to her aid, before asking the Speaker to kick her out.

While making his ruling to kick her out Speaker Kingi said that there is a behaviour that a woman is expected to uphold whenever they are going through their period.

Kingi said that she was not being discriminated against and that he sympathizes with her situation before he directed her to leave and come back with clothes that are not stained.