The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) has condemned an early morning incident where Kwale Woman Rep Zuleika Hasan was asked to leave parliament chambers with her five-month-old child.

Addressing the press after leaving the chambers, Ms Hassan in the company of other female MPs said she got an emergency this morning and had to come with the baby to parliament.

The gender commission said the episode was discrimination on the mother, her child and the Kwale County electorate.

Motherhood cannot be a basis to deny nursing female MPs a chance to conduct their legislative duties, it said in a statement.

The commission wants the Parliamentary Service Commission to quickly establish a crèche to accommodate nursing MPs and their children.

 

“The ejection of Zuleika Hassan from the chambers for showing up with her baby is unfortunate and amounts to the discrimination of mother, child and Kwale County electorate.

“It is unfortunate that six years after the Parliamentary Service Commission was mandated to establish a crèche to accommodate nursing legislators and their children, the same is yet to be implemented,” said NGEC Chairperson Joyce Mutinda.

Ms Zuleika was ordered to withdraw from the chambers by the standing speaker of the day Christopher Omulele, who argued that it was not the right place to take care of her child.