Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Kennedy Ng'ondi has defended himself after coming under attack after a video of him forcing a Muslim woman to shake his hand and hug him went viral.
Ng'ondi said on Wednesday that the video that provoked outrage was recorded during a surprise birthday celebration held after his election in September 2022.
He said that the situation had been blown out of proportion and that he had previously sought forgiveness from the MCA's family and the Muslim community as a whole.
“The birthday party organised by the honourable women leaders back in 2022 was blown out of context. The occurrence of the eventful day was never meant to discourage anyone. I have a lot of respect for women and Muslim faithful,” Ngondi told a press conference.
In the now-viral video, the speaker approaches Fatuma Abdiwahid Abey and tries to shake her hand before embracing her.
Nairobi MCAs, led by majority leader Peter Imwatok and minority leader Antony Kiragu, have defended the Speaker, claiming that resurfacing the video footage of the event was intended to create a divide in the assembly.
“This is an edited video, I wish they would have shown the joy that was there when we were celebrating, including the women. The people circulating that are enemies of the assembly,” said Antony Kiragu, the minority leader.
The Association of Muslim Lawyers has condemned the speaker's actions and asked the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to file appropriate charges against the Speaker, describing his actions as "criminal, unethical, and immoral."
"The Association of Muslim Lawyers vehemently condemns the despicable act by the Speaker of the Nairobi County Assembly, forcefully demanding a Muslim woman to shake his hand which amounts to sexual and physical assault,” read the statement.
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