By Peace Muthoka.
Senator Gloria Orwoba has made explosive claims against senior officials in the Kenyan Senate, accusing them of orchestrating harassment, intimidation, and a cover-up after she rejected sexual advances from the Clerk of the Senate, Jeremiah Nyegenye.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, the outspoken senator revealed that her legislative work has been deliberately sabotaged for over two years. “Everything changed when I said no to the Clerk’s advances,” she said. “After that, my agenda in Parliament hit roadblocks, and I faced attacks from all sides.”
Orwoba says her formal complaint of sexual harassment was never investigated. Instead, she was punished. “I reported the abuse. In return, they brought a motion to suspend me,” she said. “I wasn’t protected I was prosecuted.”
She was suspended in her absence while attending the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, a move she claims was intentionally timed to deny her the right to defend herself before Parliament. “They knew I was out of the country. That’s when they passed the motion against me,” she said.
After being pressured to issue a public apology to fellow senators, Orwoba says the apology was manipulated and used as evidence in a defamation case filed by the Clerk. The court fined her KSh10 million a ruling she has appealed.
“That apology was twisted to silence me,” she said. “But I will not stop speaking up.”
Orwoba challenged the Parliamentary Service Commission to release travel records, alleging they reveal favoritism and sex-for-trips schemes. She urged journalists and the public to demand transparency. “Check who travels the most, who approves the trips, and ask why,” she said.
Despite facing a six-month suspension, salary delays, and multiple legal threats, Orwoba says she remains determined. “I’ve lost so much already. But I’m not broken,” she declared. “If they thought they’d shut me up, they’ve underestimated me.”
She also accused Parliament of turning a blind eye to a culture of exploitation affecting not just senators, but also staff members. “Women in Parliament are suffering in silence. Some have been raped. But no one is investigating.”
Addressing women across the country, Orwoba sent a bold message: “Nobody is going to fight for us. We must speak out. Whether in tea farms, factories, or Parliament we must end this culture of silence.”
Her remarks have reignited the national conversation on sexual harassment in powerful spaces, as calls grow louder for institutional accountability and protection for whistleblowers.
