In Kenya, a member of Parliament was kicked out from Parliament for bringing her baby to the House of Representatives. The congresswoman, Zulekha Hassan said she “had an emergency” and had to take her baby to work.
The parliamentary proceedings, which are broadcast live by the Kenyan public broadcaster KBC, were temporarily interrupted when she entered the chamber carrying her child.
According to the rules of procedure, “foreigners” are not allowed in the room, including children. The deputy senate president had the difficult task of controlling the House Members, as some began to scream and others jostled each other.
He ordered the Kwale County Women’s Representative to leave the room, saying his decision was “unprecedented”. Ms. Hassan then told reporters that Parliament had still not set up a family room although he agreed to do so in 2013.
“I really tried not to come with the baby, but today I had an emergency, what should I do, if Parliament had a nursery or a family room, I could put my baby there. Now that we are asking more women in Parliament, you need to create a family-friendly atmosphere,” said Zulekha Hassan.
This expulsion sparked a debate on social media. Some have praised the MP, citing other countries that allow babies to parliament, but other tweets accuse him of being in search of buzz.
