The activist’s latest demand has amplified public outrage, with many Kenyans expressing deep discomfort over the senator’s conduct.
Hanifa stated at her official X account, “A sitting senator sexualized a minor in the Senate while children are missing, defiled, and murdered. Letting her get away with a ChatGPT apology is unacceptable. Karen Nyamu must resign.”
The controversy erupted after Senator Nyamu, while acknowledging the presence of 15-year-old Gabriela Murimi in the Speaker’s Gallery during a school voluntary service programme, made remarks widely condemned as sexual in nature.
She reportedly alluded to Senator Cherargei’s excitement at seeing the young girl and joked about the type of “service” the student might offer the Senate, including an explicit reference to “nudes.”
The comments triggered immediate backlash from senators, civil society, and the public, who described them as disrespectful, degrading and bordering on grooming or pedophilic undertones, especially given the minor’s age and vulnerability in the formal parliamentary setting.
Facing intense pressure, Senator Nyamu was compelled to issue a formal apology in the Senate.
Reading what many critics called a “scripted” or “ChatGPT-generated” statement, she tendered an unreserved apology to the Senate, the student, her family, and the public, acknowledging that her utterances fell short of the dignity expected of a state officer.
However, the apology has been largely rejected as insufficient, with detractors arguing it lacked sincerity and personal remorse.
Hanifa and other voices, including former Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo, have argued that a mere apology is not enough.
They insist that allowing such behaviour to pass with minimal consequences undermines child protection standards and the moral standing of Parliament.
Especially at a time when the country continues to grapple with cases of missing children, defilement, and gender-based violence.
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