Kibra Member of Parliament Peter Orero has sparked debate after claiming that women are now more aggressive than men during protests. The remarks were made as the country continues to grapple with demonstrations.
Speaking during an interview with K24 TV on Monday, June 23, 2025, the MP called for peaceful engagement and criticised what he termed as unchecked political rhetoric in public spaces.
“An unfortunate statement. Of course, in this country we have political rhetorics, which are outside the presence of Parliament,” Orero began.
He said that had the remarks been made within Parliament, they could have been scrutinised formally.
“If he was talking within the presence of Parliament, where we are together, that would have made a difference, because that goes to the Hansard and can be scrutinised.”
The MP stressed the need for responsible communication, warning that Kenya is in a delicate state.
“This country needs very measured communication, because it is very fragile. We are in a very fragile time. Fragile because we must move this country to another level.”
“Last year’s 25th event, you know people might not know. If you were not there, you would not be able to say what exactly happened. As we were there, and we saw what exactly happened, nobody in this country would want such a thing to happen again. Because these are our sons and also daughters,” he said, reflecting on last year’s protests.
Women’s aggression in protests
Orero then made his controversial statement about women’s role in recent protests.
“I realise that the women, ladies are even more aggressive than the men nowadays, because I was watching that, I was in Parliament building, watched it throughout the event, and I would not expect that we can go that direction.”
He concluded by urging for peaceful protests, respect for the law, and reforms in how law enforcement handles demonstrations.
“We must have a very peaceful country. We must plead that even during this demonstration, picketing, because it is allowed within our constitution, that we can allow people to picket. But it must come with decency.”
“Our law enforcing agencies must go back to the drawing board, retrace their training mechanics, how to deal with the masses, especially when the masses are not violent,” he added. “We must create an environment that enables people within this country to exercise their democratic right, but also operate within the law.”
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a digital writer with over five years of experience. He graduated in February 2022 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from The Co-operative University of Kenya. He has written news and feature stories for platforms such as Construction Review Online, Sports Brief, Briefly News, and Criptonizando. In 2023, he completed a course in Digital Investigation Techniques with AFP. He joined K24 Digital in May 2025. For inquiries, he can be reached at [email protected].
