There was drama at the Senate on Tuesday when nominated senator Gloria Orwoba was kicked out by speaker Amason Kingi for having a pink stain on her trousers. The senator who was nominated to parliament by UDA attended the session in a white blazer, green top, and matching white trouser that was however seemingly sporting a pink stain.
The matter was raised on the floor of the House on a point of order by fellow Nominated Senator Tabitha Mutinda. Mutinda described Orwoba’s dressing as “inappropriate” and “indecent.”
“As a woman and a Senator, I find it very uncomfortable, very 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. It disturbs me, as a woman, on what we indicate out there to our younger generation that looks upon us on how we dress, as leaders, in this House. There is a better way to bring this out,” argued Mutinda.
Orwoba however interjected claiming that she was being victimised for going through what women go through every month.
She went ahead to accuse her fellow Senators of subjecting her to “period stigma,” which she says affects many young women in the country.
“I think I’m dressed as per the standing orders; I’m covered, I have a suit, I have collars, I’m just short of a tie. I’m disappointed because the point of order that is being raised to try and attack an accident that is natural…I have stained my clothes…I just want to know, while we’re discussing this issue that is not even in the Order Paper, is it because Senators are not women who have periods? Because then maybe I shouldn’t be in this House,” she stated.
“This is the period stigma that is making our girls kill themselves, we have a girl who killed herself because of the same issue that I’m going through, and now I understand because it is the women who are trying to make this a crime. Because maybe it’s Valentine’s Day? Because maybe on Valentine’s Day, we’re not supposed to have our periods? I’m shocked that someone can stand here and say that the House has been disgraced because a woman has had her period?”
Speaker Kingi however asked her to leave the chambers to go and change her outfit and then return in one that was not stained.
