Senator Karen Nyamu found herself at the centre of an online storm after footage from a Senate session appeared to show her suckling her thumb while attending to her phone during proceedings.
In the clip, Nyamu is seen adjusting her clothing before settling back in her seat. She initially holds her phone with both hands, then slides back slightly and places her thumb in her mouth while continuing to scroll with her other hand.
Senate business carries on audibly in the background throughout the brief moment.
The footage spread quickly on social media, drawing a mix of mockery, criticism and sympathy from Kenyans who weighed in on what the behaviour said about parliamentary conduct and personal habit.
Not Nyamu’s First Time
This is not the first occasion Nyamu has been filmed in a similar moment inside the Senate chamber. In October 2024, she was caught on camera suckling her thumb during another sitting.
When online ridicule followed, she responded with good humour, saying she was “still children,” brushing off the trolling rather than engaging it seriously.
The latest incident has reignited those same conversations, with some users questioning whether she was paying sufficient attention to Senate business, while others argued that the brief, unconscious gesture did not interrupt proceedings in any way.
Phone use inside parliamentary chambers has drawn scrutiny in Kenya before, particularly when lawmakers appear visibly distracted during debates.
Kenyans react to Karen Nyamu’s thumb suckling
The video prompted a wide range of responses online, from playful jabs to more considered takes on adult behaviour and stress responses.
Annabel Kokeyo:
“Thumb suckling in adulthood looks weird and funny. This is a coping mechanism/strategy. She’s either feeling anxious, stressed or has unprocessed childhood soothing needs. It’s just the nervous system in the brain asking for comfort. Let’s not shame her, but also understand her.”
Bing Muneeb:
“If you want to stop a child from suckling his thumb, you give him an oversized short without a belt.”
Ruth Gerald:
“No matter how grown we become, a little piece of our childhood always lives within us.”
Dillan Omario:
“Nothing’s wrong with that she’s a human we all have our imperfections.”
