Kwale Woman Representative, Zulekha Hassan,  has thrown the country into another social debate regarding where and when lactating mothers should breastfeed their babies, following yesterday’s drama in parliament that saw her ordered out of the chambers for bringing baby on board.

Ms. Hassan told journalists on Wednesday that she had been left with no choice but show up with the baby in the chambers due to an emergency at home. She, however, maintained that “if a parliament had a crèche where staff and MPs can nurse their babies, then she wouldn’t have gone to the chambers with the baby”.

Majority leader Adan Duale called the baby a “stranger” and maintained that the MP was out of order.

“Mr Speaker, this is an abuse of the house and that member must be cited for gross misconduct,” Duale said

The incident has provoked another “breastfeeding debate”, just months after a woman was kicked out of a restaurant in the city center for breastfeeding her baby, with the waiters terming it “distasteful”.

Below are some of the views shared on twitter.

HusseinMohamed: Hon Zulekha had to use language that parliament & institutions world over understand! Drama! Tht she exposed her baby to obvious dangers to bring to the fore this important issue is enough sacrifice! U & ur baby are heroes & Kenyans will reap from your heroic act @Mpzuleikahassan

Wordslinger: Surely!!! Shame on the National Assembly. You’d think Zulekha walked into the House with a cobra!! Shame! Do better now. We are in 2019. Shame on you!!!are in shock about it.

ping pong official: Kwale Woman Rep Zulekha Hassan taking her baby to parliament for cheap Bonga points is exactly why we have “punguza mizigo” on the table… How idle can u be to pull such a stunt?

S.N. Nyamao : How did she even get into parliament….? Kwale County Woman Rep Zulekha Juma Hassan is indeed an amazing woman. I like the way Female MPs seem to be defending her. But imagine surrounding a baby with thieves at such a tender age! The National Assembly of Kenya.

The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life.  There has been a remarkable increase in Kenya on the number of mothers who choose to exclusively breastfeed — up from just 13% in 2003, to 61% in 2014. More mothers, especially those in employment may want to breastfeed their babies or express breast milk but do not have the support they need in their homes, communities and workplaces.