Karen Nyamu Speaks After Being Booed at Natalie Githinji’s Endometriosis Concert

Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu has addressed the public after being booed while attending media personality Natalie Githinji’s Endometriosis Awareness Concert at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.

Nyamu was met with opposition chants when she took the stage at the event, which was attended by comedian and activist Eric Omondi alongside thousands of supporters.

Speaking after the incident, Nyamu said she had anticipated the reaction because of the political profile of some of the people associated with the event.

“Well, I was kind of expecting it because hii event ni ya Eric Omondi and Eric Omondi has been in the forefront kufight government,” she said.

Asked how she dealt with the hostile reception, Nyamu said she chose to ignore it rather than engage with the crowd.

“I don’t think I’ve handled it. I think I’ve ignored it,” she said.

The senator maintained that such reactions would not affect her work in Parliament or her efforts to pursue issues she considers important.

“It’s not something that has to be embraced by everyone because you’re doing a good job or because you have a vision,” Nyamu said.

Nyamu highlights gaps in endometriosis care

Nyamu said her attendance at the concert was primarily intended to give her an opportunity to hear directly from women living with endometriosis and gather information that could inform a proposed Senate motion.

She credited Githinji with using her public platform to raise awareness about the condition and bring greater attention to the challenges faced by patients.

“If it was not for Natalie, we would not be having that motion in the Senate,” Nyamu said.

She also said Githinji deserved a Head of State Commendation for her advocacy.

Only five specialists can perform complex surgeries

During the interview, Nyamu highlighted what she described as significant gaps in Kenya’s capacity to diagnose and treat endometriosis.

She said Kenya has approximately 700 registered gynaecologists but only five specialists who are qualified to perform complex endometriosis surgeries.

“We have only five gynecologists who are able to operate on a woman who needs surgery with endo,” Nyamu said.

She also raised concerns over the absence of comprehensive national data on the number of women living with endometriosis.

“In Kenya we don’t have any endometriosis data,” she said.

Nyamu questioned how the government could effectively plan treatment centres and allocate resources without knowing the scale of the condition.

“How do you plan, how do you budget, how do you put endo centres all over the country if you don’t know the number?”

Senate motion seeks reforms

Nyamu said her proposed Senate motion seeks to address some of the challenges affecting women living with endometriosis.

Among the proposed measures is the establishment of specialised endometriosis treatment centres across the country.

The motion also seeks comprehensive medical insurance coverage for endometriosis treatment, rather than having the condition treated as routine menstrual pain.

The senator said strengthening specialist capacity, collecting reliable national data and improving access to treatment would be critical in addressing the challenges faced by women living with the condition.