Women partly to blame for sexual harassment, says MP

Othaya MP Mary Wambui and Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi join students in a dance at Iria-ini Girls Secondary School in Nyeri on March 28, 2015 at a fundraiser to buy a school bus. “We are seeing figures here but when you go to the ground it is a different thing. This is not the money that farmers received,” said Ms Wambui. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The MP said the way she conducts herself has shielded her from such forms of harassment.
  • Female leaders have always been entertaining men who are not their husbands or boyfriends, she said.
  • Ms Wambui, however, urged men to respect women and stick to their spouses.
  • Nyeri County Woman Representative Priscilla Nyokabi urged women to preserve their dignity.

Othaya MP Mary Wambui has disagreed with fellow women MPs on allegations of sexual harassment by their male colleagues.

Women parliamentarians were partly to blame because of the way they interact with their male colleagues, said Ms Wambui.

The MP said the way she conducts herself has shielded her from such forms of harassment.

“Female leaders have always been entertaining men who are not their husbands or boyfriends, indulging in alcohol until very weird hours of the night.

“In one way or the other, these women are encouraging men to sexually harass them,” she said.

The Othaya MP was speaking on Saturday afternoon at Iria-ini Girls Secondary School in her constituency during a funds drive to buy a bus for the institution.

Ms Wambui, however, urged men to respect women and stick with their spouses.

Nyeri County Woman Representative Priscilla Nyokabi urged women to preserve their dignity and only get into an intimate relationship with a person who deserves it.