A Kenyan lawmaker, who recently made the headlines after she was spotted in the company of an all-female, armed security detail, says she decided to choose them over male bodyguards because she believes they can do better.
Garissa County Woman Representative Anab Gure was seen being escorted by her conspicuous hijab-wearing and armed bodyguards during a recent work-related assignment. In one of the photos the MP shared on her Twitter page, two armed female guards could be seen posing next to her for a photo.
“I prefer women bodyguards as my security detail. I believe that women can do better than men,” the MP told local news outlet Nation.Africa. “The place I went to was 10km from the Somalia border and I saw the need to have one vehicle of security officers accompanying me. The area was recently attacked by suspected Al-Shabaab militants, I could not have risked my life.”
Though that was her female bodyguards’ first public appearance, Gure clarified it was not a one-off thing as they accompany her anywhere she goes. And besides providing her with much-needed security, Gure said there’re other benefits of having them around.
“There are some women’s personal items I can forget to carry but find that my bodyguards have them in their bags,” she said. “There are also some talks that I cannot express when I have a male bodyguard.”
I oversaw the commencement of the registrations of persons for the National Identity Card in DekaHarja ward. The exercise that began today will cover Galmagala, Dekaharja, Bula Golol, Gubis and Hajijimay for the next seven days. pic.twitter.com/LszEu4cSdp
— Hon. Anab Subow Gure, MP (@HonAnabGure) July 13, 2021
The photos of the MP and her female bodyguards were shared by some social media users who also commended her for her choice of security. “Hon Anab goes Gen Qadafi style. Kudos Mheshimiwa,” a user captioned alongside one of the photos with a “thumbs up” and “applause” emoji.
“The samia suluhu of kamutey @HonAnabGure pastoralists queen. the nomadic daughter. I never knew she got female bodyguards amazing,” another user tweeted, making mention of Tanzania’s female president Samia Suluhu Hassan.
During her visit to Kenya in May, the Tanzanian president was also spotted with an all-female security detail, Nation.Africa reported.
