Minister maintains army recruit was pregnant

FILE | NATION
Ms Gladys Chepkechei Tarus, 20, from Kabarbarma village in Baringo Central District displays her pregnancy test results outside the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret last week. Ms Tarus was turned away from the Recruit Training School over allegations that she was pregnant. The Defence Ministry maintained that she was pregnant November 3, 2010.

The controversy over the dismissal of a lady from Kenya’s military training school took a new twist in Parliament after a government minister said the lady had "interfered with the pregnancy".

Tempers flared and emotions boiled over as MPs poked holes in the official military medical report which declared the recruit, Ms Gladys Tarus, pregnant.

In the flare-up, two assistant ministers – Orwa Ojodeh (Internal Security) and Joseph Nkaissery (Defence)—were kicked out of Parliament for being unruly.

The Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim said the two had turned the House into a “fish market”, and were “shouting”, thereby undermining the dignity of Parliament.

Two other assistant ministers Linah Jebii Kilimo (Cooperative Development) and William Cheptumo (Justice) were also warned that they would be thrown out for trying to attack the government.

“You cannot hunt with wolves and graze with sheep. You cannot be in government and at the same time want to act as backbenchers,” said Mr Maalim.

Mr David Musila, the assistant minister for Defence, had a hard time trying to convince MPs that the recruit was pregnant when the military tests were carried out.

Mr Musila denied reports that Ms Tarus had been disqualified “unfairly and unjustifiably” from the army.

“The main allegations have been that the lady was unfairly disqualified from the training school and that her position was taken by someone who paid Sh300,000. We categorically deny the allegation that this lady was unfairly disqualified,” Mr Musila told Parliament.

The assistant minister said Ms Tarus was not pregnant when she was enlisted on October 8 at Kabarnet, however, when she turned up at the training institute in Eldoret on October 25, she was found pregnant.

When she was informed of her pregnancy, Mr Musila said, Ms Tarus went for an independent test to one Dr Kimutai who carried out an ultrasound and found her pregnant. Dr Kimutai’s report recommended further tests on urine and blood.

Mr Musila termed Ms Tarus as “the best candidate” who was picked from Kabarnet, “that in fact, she ran very well and the recruitment officers had to wait for three minutes for the person who followed her.”

The assistant minister said, her case was not in isolation, and that two other girls had also been shown the door for being pregnant. In total, he said, 28 recruits were disqualified that day. A total of 418 women were picked to join the military.

Armed with results from Dr Kimutai, Ms Tarus went back to the training school, but she was turned away.

“If it is a pregnancy of two or three weeks, it will not be detected on ultrasound,” said Mr Musila.

“The doctors attempted to do another test and they found that there was vaginal bleeding and therefore the test was discontinued. Since she was found with vaginal bleeding, she was disqualified.”

Mr Musila added: “No replacement of the persons has taken place. The ministry has repeatedly cautioned the public against corruption.”

With the remarks, the women MPs shot up and accused the minister of insinuating that Ms Tarus had procured an abortion.

“I am totally offended. The insinuation is that if there was vaginal bleeding then she must have carried out an abortion, that’s wrong. We women call it menstruation,” charged Ms Rachel Shebesh (nominated, ODM).

Ms Martha Karua (Gichugu, Narc-Kenya) added: “Can the minister state what type of vaginal bleeding this was, so that this girl is not victimised for a natural phenomenon.”

Dr Joyce Laboso (Sotik, ODM) said the military had violated the Constitution by discriminating Ms Tarus on the basis of a pregnancy.

“This girl deserves to go back to the army. Normal monthly periods should not lead to discrimination against a woman, that’s part of fertility and that’s part of building the nation,” said Dr Laboso.

However, Mr Musila said tests had been carried out by senior military doctors and the girl had even confessed to having had “unprotected sex” a day after she was enlisted in the army.

“I want the honourable members to see the possibility of there having been interference on what was developing in the womb,” Mr Musila said.

But Dr Abdi Nuh (Bura, ODM-K) said the assistant minister wanted Parliament to “assume that this lady has conducted an abortion” yet he has no evidence to that effect.

Ms Karua, and MPs Pollyns Ochieng’ (Nyakach, ODM) and Peter Mwathi (Limuru, PNU) charged that unless the minister substantiated his claims to support conception, then he ought to withdraw them. They said that with the different tests, all showing Ms Tarus as negative after the military test, could only be resolved by a medical board.

“In the opinion of the doctors, that bleeding was not monthly periods but as a result of interference in the pregnancy,” Mr Musila insisted. With that, the deputy Speaker ruled that the relevant committees should investigate the matter and report to Parliament in one week.

Because it’s a matter that touches on recruitment, health, breach of the law and the military, it is likely that four committees will jointly look into the matter. These are the committees on Defence and Foreign Relations, Health, Justice and Legal Affairs and the one on Equal Opportunities.