Karen Nyamu opens up on motherhood, lawmaking and guilt over foreign trips
By Ascah Mwango, September 18, 2026Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu has opened up about the challenges of balancing motherhood with her responsibilities as a lawmaker, saying her children often influence how long she can stay away from home.
Nyamu, a mother of three, shared the experience in an Instagram post on Friday, September 18, 2026, where she explained why she sometimes cuts short trips abroad for benchmarking, training and other official engagements.
Sharing a video, the senator captioned it: “This is why I can never be outside for too long, watoto bado ni wadogo bana.”
Nyamu said she sometimes experiences guilt when she is away from her children for extended periods, forcing her to reconsider her participation in activities outside the country.
“Sometimes there is that guilt, you feel guilty and you withdraw completely from the ground and all those activities and you say now I am focusing on home and the children,” she said.
She noted that while lawmakers often travel abroad for benchmarking trips and training, she finds it difficult to remain away from her children for long.
“People love going to trips to US or wherever for benchmarking or training, I am disadvantaged because I am never comfortable when I am out there,” Nyamu said.
She recalled a recent trip to Malawi where her colleagues stayed for 12 days, while she returned home after only three days because of calls from her children.
“The other day we were in Malawi, my colleagues were there for 12 days. I was there for three days because my kids are calling me, ‘Mom, where are you? When are you coming?’” she said.
Nyamu’s remarks highlighted the personal considerations she faces alongside her public responsibilities, particularly as she tries to balance her role in lawmaking with raising her children.
Her comments also offered a glimpse into the demands faced by working mothers whose professional responsibilities require frequent travel and time away from their families.