Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu.
Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu has, rightfully, drawn a great deal of flak for her abhorrent comments on a young schoolgirl attached to the Senate on a study programme.
Even for a Parliament that has long descended into the pits, Ms Nyamu’s comments suggesting some sort of sexual services tied to the attachment went beyond the pale.
The subsequent apology did not undo the damage, especially as it was evident that she did so reluctantly, with no remorse or acknowledgement that her vile words were hurtful to the young girl.
Many have since opined that Ms Nyamu was let off extremely lightly. There have been suggestions that she should have been expelled from the Senate.
But that is unlikely to happen because Ms Nyamu is a valued representative of the governing Kenya Kwanza coalition, notwithstanding that her mind may be firmly stuck in the gutter.
President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) nominated Ms Nyamu to Parliament because it believed she stood out as a good example of the party’s values, ethos and principles. She may have brought next to zero in political heft, but she was seen as a faithful, loyal and reliable party stalwart.
She did come with rather questionable credentials, especially around her controversial private life, but UDA was happy to overlook those glaring defects.
In her interactions in the Senate and all her actions and utterances on political platforms, and even on the hedonistic party circuit that largely defines her, Ms Nyamu remains a prime example of the kind of leadership offered by UDA.
That is a leadership that has no pretentions to ethics and integrity, and one that is absolutely tone-deaf to public feelings on its excesses.
That, by the way, is not something that started with the present administration. It goes back to the elections of 2013, when Kenyan voters, in their wisdom or lack of it, elected a duo facing International Criminal Court indictments for crimes against humanity.
We can blame the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission for clearing presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and running-mate William Ruto despite express constitutional and statute law provisions on ethics and integrity that would bar anybody facing criminal charges from public office.
Ultimately, however, it was the Kenyan voter who decided that the “UhuRuto” duo was a good bet, and in the process made redundant the leadership code.
In addition to the door being opened for the new regime to appoint to high public office a large cast of thieves, scoundrels and other disreputable characters, the youthful duo also greatly lowered the bar in nominations designed to close the gender parity gap in Parliament.
It was a great opportunity to bring in young leaders with energy and fresh ideas, but slots that were once occupied by highly respected women leaders were taken over by a crop clearly immature and unprepared for positions of public responsibility.
Instead of standing out for contribution to debate in Parliament and sponsorship of forward-looking legislation; the new lot stood out only for twerking on political platforms and social media activity, highlighting the fast life.
The vacuous mindsets put on public display reinforced narratives of an airhead or bimbo capture of women’s space in political leadership, and to a great extent, soiled the otherwise noble intentions of provisions designed to close the gender gap in representative office.
Ms Nyamu, whose public antics attracted media attention even from across the borders, remains a prime exemplar of what Mr Kenyatta and his successor, President Ruto, visited on us.
The incumbent has the power to undo the damage. It is just one year ago that President Ruto’s party engineered the expulsion of another nominated senator, Gloria Orwoba, on accusations of shifting loyalties to an opposition political movement fronted by former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i. Expulsion from UDA translated into Ms Orwoba losing her slot as a party nominee in the Senate.
The onus is now on President Ruto to initiate similar action against Ms Nyamu. But he is unlikely to do so because her offense is not seen as a display of rebellion or disloyalty.
And, finally, it is unlikely that there will be further sanctions on Ms Nyamu because she ultimately is but just a reflection of the Kenyan majority that voted this regime into office.
That is why today Ms Nyamu would very likely be welcomed with open arms if she fled into the opposition alliance led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, as another of her former UDA twerking cohort, Millicent Omanga, was.
Ms Nyamu and company ultimately reflect what we are.
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Mr Gaitho, an independent journalist, is former NMG Managing Editor for Special Projects. [email protected].
