Former UDA-nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has made serious allegations of sexual harassment, abuse of office, and political persecution within the Senate, claiming that her attempts to seek justice have been met with retaliation, suspension, legal battles, and threats to her life.
Addressing the press during a press conference held in Nairobi, Orwoba lifted the lid on what she called a “culture of sexual favors in exchange for legislative advancement and privileges,” specifically implicating the Senate leadership in sabotaging her work after she refused his alleged sexual advances.“What I reported is that I realized my work in Parliament was being sabotaged. And when I reflected deeply, I concluded it was because I had refused to give in to the sexual advances of the Clerk of the Senate,” she stated.
Orwoba said her troubles began two years ago when she made the allegations public in a personal statement on the Senate floor. She claimed this prompted powerful forces within the House leadership to begin efforts to silence and punish her.
She revealed that motions to suspend her were brought before the House twice, the second time while she was away in New York attending the Clinton Global Initiative, a move she says was deliberately timed to deny her the constitutional right to defend herself. “They passed the motion in my absence. I was suspended in absentia. They didn’t want me present because I would have used the 20 minutes granted to expose the rot,” she said.
She described how her initial complaint was turned into a charge against her, accusing her of disrespecting Parliament by alleging that sexual favors were being exchanged for legislative influence.“I reported harassment. They turned around and charged me. That’s not justic, that’s persecution,” she emphasized.
The Senator accused Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot of misleading her with assurances of investigations that never materialized, and claimed the Parliamentary Service Commission — chaired by the Speaker of the National Assembly — ignored her written complaint.
She challenged media and oversight institutions to probe the Senate’s travel records, saying the Clerk denied her trips due to personal vendettas while selectively approving travel for others, including to forums where she had been invited. “I challenge the fourth estate, ask for the travel report. You will see how trips, legislative priorities, and even office space are awarded based on compliance with sexual demands,” Orwoba asserted.
The senator also criticized the judiciary for what she called a “weaponized” defamation judgment that saw her fined KSh10 million by a court in a case brought against her by the Clerk.
She claims the ruling was based on a video she made in response to a matter already in the public domain.“He knew he couldn’t sue Parliament, so he waited for me to respond outside. Then he sued me personally. That’s how the system traps women who speak out,” she said.She accused her own party, UDA, of abandoning her, saying her assertiveness and refusal to remain silent had isolated her politically.
Despite facing suspension, salary cuts, court cases, and threats to her life, Orwoba remained defiant.“What more can they take away from me? I haven’t been paid, I’ve been suspended, I have multiple court cases, and my own party disapproves of me, but I am not defeated,” she declared.
She warned that harassment of women in Parliament mirrors what is happening across Kenyan society, referencing sexual abuse claims in tea farms, factories, homes, and even political rallies.“How can I go to fight for women in Kericho when I can’t even get justice in Parliament?” she posed. “This culture of sex-for-work must end, and it must end now.”The senator vow to continue her fight even if it costs her life“If I die, I want Kenyans to know the battles I was fighting. I believe God put me in this space for a reason. And if they thought this would silence me, they’re wrong. Bring it on.”
Neither the Clerk of the Senate nor the Parliamentary Service Commission has issued a response to the senator’s renewed allegations. Senator Orwoba’s appeal against the KSh10.5 million defamation ruling remains active in court.
