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Janet Mbugua: Politicians, stop making awareness events about you
30th September, 2026 10:03 AM
Kenyan media personality and health advocate Janet Mbugua has criticised the way politicians can take over conversations meant to highlight important social issues, following the controversy surrounding nominated Senator Karen Nyamu’s appearance at Natalie Githinji’s Endometriosis Warriors event.
In remarks shared on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Janet said Natalie had used her personal experience with endometriosis to bring attention to the condition, but argued that the focus shifted after Nyamu took the microphone.
“Politicians, stop making awareness events about you,” Janet said.
Her comments come days after Nyamu was heckled with “Wantam” chants while addressing thousands of people at the event held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
Janet says Natalie’s story should remain the focus
Janet praised Natalie for using her own experience to educate the public about endometriosis and said the media personality had created an opportunity for more people to understand the condition.
She said Natalie’s personal journey had opened the door for a wider conversation about endometriosis and the challenges faced by women living with the condition.
“Natalie Githinji is the example of what politicians could never be. She used her own story as the door and walked the whole country through it to endometriosis,” Janet said.
Janet then drew a comparison between what happened at the KICC event and the way political figures sometimes feature prominently at funerals.
“Then a senator took the mic, and the story became the senator, similar to how MPs are turning funerals into campaign stages too,” she said.
Karen Nyamu heckled at KICC
Nyamu attended the event and took the stage to speak about endometriosis and her work in Parliament. However, sections of the crowd interrupted her speech with repeated “Wantam” chants, making it difficult for her to continue addressing the audience.
Nyamu later said she was not surprised by the reaction and attributed her expectation of the chants partly to Eric Omondi’s involvement in organising the event and his public criticism of the government.
She maintained that she had chosen to attend because of her interest in endometriosis and her work on the issue in Parliament. “I had a choice to come or not to come. And for me, I cannot stop coming because there will be ‘One Term’ chants,” Nyamu said.
Eric Omondi questions Nyamu’s attendance
The incident was followed by criticism from Eric Omondi, who said organisers had agreed that politicians would not attend the event so that attention could remain on Natalie and endometriosis.
According to Omondi, Nyamu had contacted him before the event about supporting Natalie and later sent her Ksh100,000, but did not tell him that she intended to attend the gathering.
Omondi said organisers had specifically instructed that politicians should not be allowed into the event because they did not want the conversation to shift away from endometriosis.
He also questioned why Nyamu could not allow Natalie to have the spotlight at an event dedicated to her advocacy work.
Janet calls for action on endometriosis
Janet also used her remarks to draw attention back to the issues facing women living with endometriosis. She pointed to the high cost of treatment, saying surgery can cost up to Ksh1 million, while Kenya still lacks clear data on how many women are living with the condition.
“Be enraged, then take that rage to the Senate. Where’s the endometriosis motion right now? Ask your senator,” she said.
Nyamu has previously said she gave notice of a proposed Senate motion on endometriosis on September 10 and has maintained that she intends to continue working on the issue in Parliament.
The controversy has since shifted some attention away from the awareness campaign and towards the disagreement over Nyamu’s appearance, the “Wantam” chants and the subsequent exchange between Nyamu and Omondi.
