The short clip, which quickly spread across social media platforms, showed Nyamu looking at her phone and smiling as if she was admiring herself using a Snapchat filter.
This happened while other national leaders were giving emotional speeches in honor of the late opposition leader.
The video sparked mixed reactions from Kenyans. Many people criticized Nyamu, saying her actions were disrespectful during a funeral of a national figure who shaped Kenya’s political history.
According to some comments online, leaders are expected to show respect and focus during important public events, especially a burial being watched by the whole country.
Others said her behavior reflected poorly on the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), the party she represents in Senate.
However, not everyone agreed with the harsh criticism. Some social media users defended Nyamu, arguing that people were too quick to judge.
They said that leaders are also human and sometimes check their phones without thinking it may be captured on camera. Others claimed the video was taken out of context to make her look bad.
With the debate growing online, Nyamu decided to clarify the situation. She posted a response on her Snapchat account.
According to her explanation, she was not admiring herself or making fun of the burial ceremony. Instead, she said she was watching videos of her children.
To support her statement, she shared another Snapchat video showing her children in the back seat of a car. She captioned it:
“So apparently that’s the video. I was just watching my babies’ videos on Snapchat during speeches on zero volume. Mama things.”
Her response attracted new reactions. Some people sympathized with her, saying a mother naturally thinks about her children even during serious events. They said it was unfair to judge her without knowing the truth.
However, others remained unconvinced. They argued that whether she was watching her children or not, using social media during such an important ceremony was still inappropriate for a leader.
Karen Nyamu is no stranger to online controversy. Over time, she has built a reputation for trending on social media due to her outspoken nature and active online lifestyle.
Despite criticism, she continues to attract attention as one of Kenya’s most visible and talked-about female politicians.
The debate around the video continues, with Kenyans still divided on whether her explanation was honest or just an excuse.
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