Kileleshwa Ward Member of County Assembly Robert Alai has blamed Senate Speaker Amason Jeffa Kingi over the recent controversy involving nominated Senator Karen Nyamu, saying Parliament lacks a clear and enforceable framework to prevent sexual harassment and protect visitors within its precincts.
Alai, reacting to the incident in which Senator Nyamu made remarks deemed inappropriate toward a Grade 10 student visiting Parliament, said the matter reflects a broader leadership failure within Kenya’s legislative institutions.
“I blame Speaker Amason Jeffa Kingi. He should provide leadership,” Alai said.
He argued that both the Senate and the National Assembly must urgently adopt a comprehensive sexual harassment policy that covers Members of Parliament, staff, interns, and visitors, noting that the absence of such guidelines exposes vulnerable groups to misconduct.
“Senate and the National Assembly can’t be excused from having a clear policy against sexual harassment to protect visitors, members, staff and interns,” he said.
Alai further linked the Nyamu incident to what he described as institutional negligence, insisting that individual apologies are not sufficient in the absence of structural reforms within Parliament.
“The behaviour exhibited by the Senator shows that the House leadership is complicit,” he added.
His remarks come in the wake of widespread public debate following the Senate episode where Nyamu made comments directed at a visiting student during an official parliamentary engagement.
The comments triggered immediate criticism from members of the public and governance stakeholders, prompting calls for accountability and disciplinary action.
Nyamu was later directed by the Senate leadership to issue an apology to the student, her family, Parliament, and the public.
She complied, though the matter continued to generate debate on standards of conduct within the House.
Alai now wants the Senate to take the lead in setting national standards on conduct within legislative spaces, arguing that reforms should not be optional or reactive.
“Senate must move with speed and develop a clear policy against the vice and compel all county assemblies and executives to do the same,” he said.
He warned that the problem is not isolated to Parliament alone, saying similar gaps exist across Kenya’s 47 county assemblies, where clear safeguards against harassment are either weak or nonexistent.
“The vice is rampant in the 49 parliaments we have in Kenya,” Alai noted.
The comments add pressure on parliamentary leadership as scrutiny over the Nyamu incident continues, with growing calls for institutional reforms to strengthen accountability and protect minors and visitors in public institutions.