Former nominated senator Gloria Orwoba has reignited debate over a viral 2024 incident in which President William Ruto was captured playfully pinching her during a public event. What many dismissed as lighthearted banter, Orwoba now claims was a calculated act of reprimand for her defiance against the President’s allies in the Senate.
Speaking recently, Orwoba alleged that Ruto used the gesture to express displeasure at her criticism of Kimani Kuria, the MP tasked with steering the President’s controversial tax plan. She said her calls for accountability especially on her push to address period poverty sparked tension within their Senate WhatsApp group.
“The pinch was his way of warning me to stop being tough on his allies. I reminded him that my role was to demand accountability, not to please anyone,” Orwoba said, recounting how Ruto pinched her twice after she refused to back down.
At the time, Orwoba was a vocal member of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), which had nominated her to the Senate. But her relationship with the party soured, culminating in her expulsion later overturned by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal on August 20, 2025.
Despite the ruling, Senate authorities barred her from resuming her duties, prompting dramatic scenes at Parliament on August 27. Orwoba, armed with court orders, confronted security officers at the Senate gate, insisting she was legally entitled to return to work.
Her defiance escalated when her vehicle, a white Land Cruiser Prado, was towed after she blocked the entrance. In a chaotic turn, police forcibly removed her as fellow senators, including Kakamega’s Boni Khalwale, tried to intervene.
Orwoba accused Senate Speaker Amason Kingi of presiding over “illegality” by allowing her replacement, Consolata Wakwabubi, to be sworn in. She vowed to challenge the matter in court, branding Wakwabubi “a stranger on the floor of the house.”
The standoff ended with Orwoba’s arrest on charges of disturbing the peace and obstructing justice. She was later released on a Ksh10,000 cash bail but pledged to continue her fight.
“This is not just about me it’s about the rule of law,” she declared.
