COTU secretary general, Francis Atwoli, on Saturday bashed local media houses for what he termed as discrimination against women journalists.
The COTU boss described this kind of discrimination in Kenya's media houses as one that is based on colonial thinking.
He was speaking at a COTU-K meeting held at COTU headquarters in Nairobi.
According to Mr. Atwoli, Kenyan women journalists are forced to look like foreign media women journalists, something he was against.
Unlike men whom he say will be allowed to walk in studios the way they want, women will be forced to wear makeups which makes them look different in real life without makeup.
"There is gender discrimination going on in our media houses be it NTV, Citizen or KTN. It is a gender-based discrimination based on colonial thinking. Men will just walk in the studio the way want and read the news. On the other side, women are being decorated with all beauty in order to look like African-Americans or white," said Mr. Atwoli.
Mr. Atwoli challenged these local media to emulate foreign media personalities who do little to change their looks when going on air.
He, therefore, advised them to remain natural as what people want is news and nothing much.
"Women are forced to wear wigs and this is gender discrimination. Take a look at women in BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera who just come in the studio the way they want. What people want is news," he added.
Mr. Atwoli's comments come at a time when it is rather a must requirement for women to actually look extremely beautiful for them to be employed in the organisations.
Moreover, the need for women to look attractive and beautiful in front of their TV audiences has always pushed them to wear lots of makeup.