‘Wachaneni na Karen’ – MP Kururia defends Nyamu over remarks on student at the Senate
By Valerian Khakayi, May 8, 2026Gatungu North Member of Parliament (MP) Elijah Kururia has come out strongly in defence of nominated Senator Karen Nyamu following the backlash over her remarks involving a student who had visited the Senate.
In a statement issued on Friday, May 8, 2028, Kururia told critics to leave Nyamu alone, adding that nobody should attack her over her statement, which he says she was seeking clarity on.
According to him, the nominated senator’s comments had been misunderstood, insisting that the issue had been blown out of proportion.
“WACHANENI NA KAREN! Nobody should attack my friend Senator Karen Nyamu, over her statement, which was seeking clarification on the specific SERVICE the learner was to offer to the Superior house,” Kururia said.
Kururia further faulted the Senate Speaker for making an error while introducing the learner.
“The speaker erred by stating that the learner “has come to serve” instead of stating that the learner had come for leadership orientation,” he added.
“Secondly, the school errored by deciding to take a learner to a political house to learn. To learn what ? Why didn’t the school take her to Church?”
Nyamu to critics
After facing backlash, Nyamu told critics they were free to express themselves but urged them to refrain from sharing the student’s photo on social media, saying it was unfair to the child involved.
“By all means, go ahead and express yourselves on the matter the best way you know how. Post me, post me again,” Nyamu wrote.
She added that some of her critics acted as though they were perfect and never made mistakes or got misunderstood.
“But for heaven’s sake, why are you circulating the poor girl’s images all over social media? Do you really know what you’re doing to her? Or does it not matter as long as you get a chance to bash Karen Nyamu?” she added.
“Lucky you perfect people who never make mistakes or never get misunderstood. I look forward to being just like you. For now, I’m still imperfect, still misunderstood, still trying.”
Nyamu’s remarks in the Senate
The controversy erupted during a Senate session held under the Senate’s School Outreach and Mentorship Programme, where students had visited Parliament for civic education and mentorship exposure.
During the proceedings, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot introduced a female student who was part of the delegation, setting the stage for what was meant to be a routine engagement between lawmakers and visiting learners.
While contributing to the debate, Senator Karen Nyamu made remarks that sparked immediate uproar inside the House and later across social media platforms.
“I saw Senator Cherargei getting excited when he saw the lady. It’s good to specify the service she’s going to offer the Senate,” Nyamu said.
Following the backlash, the Senate Speaker’s panel directed Nyamu to issue an apology to the student, her family, and the public. However, even her apology stirred debate after she claimed parts of the statement she was reading had been prepared for her.