- Kwale Woman Rep Hassan was ordered out after she walked in with her baby
- Incident disrupted business for over 20 minutes as MPs debated
Image: FILE
Parliamentary rules should be reviewed to allow other persons besides members easy access to the House, National Assembly Chief Whip Ben Washiali has said.
“There is no law allowing more than the 349 MPs to be in the chambers during business and this is what we should look at because even some us would like to have our relative in the House but there is no law on this,” he said.
Washiali made the observation following an incident in which Kwale Woman Representative Zuleka Hassan was ordered out of the House on Tuesday after she walked in with her five-month-old baby.
The incident disrupted business for over 20 minutes as MPs debated the occurrence before Hassan was ejected.
On Thursday, Washiali said the incident should draw the attention of MPs to the current laws governing Parliament.
He said even Cabinet Secretaries sit outside the bars when in the House to respond to questions.
Washiali however said relaxing access to the chambers would present security concerns.
“All women MPs are not allowed to carry anything into the chambers and pass all they have through a scanner. What happens when she carries a baby whom she does not pass through a scanner into the chambers?” he said.
Zuleka said she had an emergency that forced he to come to work with her child.
Many counties allow breastfeeding mothers to nurse their babies at work. Last year, an Australian senator made history by breastfeeding her child in Parliament.