This archive report was first published on 7 August 2019.
On August 7, 2019, the morning proceedings of Kenya's parliament were temporarily disrupted when Kwale Woman Representative Zuleika Hassan brought her five-month-old baby into the chambers.
Speaker Christopher Omulele ordered Ms. Hassan to withdraw, citing that the chamber was not the right place to care for her child. However, a section of male MPs and women lawmakers supported Ms. Hassan, urging her to stay put.
As the situation escalated, Speaker Omulele called the sergeant-at-arms to evict Ms. Hassan, who was being shielded by her female counterparts.
Ms. Hassan later addressed the press, stating that she had an emergency and decided not to miss work, bringing the baby with her. She added, 'She is not an atomic bomb and can't explode.'
Kenyan MPs had passed a motion in 2013 directing the Parliamentary Service Commission to set aside a room for breastfeeding mothers, a directive that has yet to be implemented six years later.
MPs Sophia Abdi Noor, Rachel Nyamai, and Sarah Korere expressed their disappointment and frustration over the lack of support for breastfeeding mothers, with Ms. Korere accusing the PSC of ignoring their plight.
