Kenyan legislator ejected over menstrual stain

February 15, 2023 Elwin Mandowa

A Kenyan legislator had the shock of her life when she was ejected from parliament after attending a session while wearing a white suit that got stained red.

Gloria Orwoba had apparently stained her white suit as part of a menstrual activism campaign that she was pushing.

Orwoba, from the ruling coalition party, was due to table a motion on a bill to provide for free sanitary pads on Wednesday as part of efforts to end period poverty.

But the senators disrupted the session to draw the Speaker’s attention to her “inappropriate dress code”.

But the lawmaker protested saying she was “shocked that someone can stand here and say that the House has been disgraced because a woman has had her periods.”

– Advertisement –

The house speaker Amason Kingi however ordered the senator to go change her clothes before she could be readmitted to the chambers.

“Having periods is never a crime… Senator Gloria I sympathise with you that you are going through the natural act of menstruation, you have stained your wonderful suit, I’m asking you to leave so that you go change and come back with clothes that are not stained,” the speaker said.

Outside the chambers, the Senator Orwoba told journalists that she will continue to fight the stigma associated with with menstruation.

“We’re pushing to end the shadow pandemic which is actually period stigma and period poverty. One of the things that I’m advocating for and trying to legislate is to ensure that we give free sanitary towels to all school-going children,” the senator added.

Senator Orwoba said her activism is to push for an end to the shadow pandemic which is actually period stigma and period poverty.

Drama as Senator Gloria Orwoba is ejected from Senate Plenary session for appearing with a stained trouser. The senator said she was on her periods and that was a ‘natural accident’ pic.twitter.com/AnVxyDHPPJ

— Abdulahi Adan (@AbdulahiAdan10) February 14, 2023

The incident has sparked varied reactions among Kenyans on social media with some appreciating her efforts while some believe it was right for her to be ejected.