Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Kennedy Ng'ondi has defended himself following a viral video in which he appears to force ward representative Fatuma Abdiwahid Abey to shake his hand in violation of her Islamic faith.
Ng'ondi said on Wednesday that the video that sparked outrage was taken during a surprise birthday party held after his election in September 2022.
He claimed that the situation had been blown out of proportion and that he had already 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.
Nairobi MCAs, led by majority leader Peter Imwatok and minority leader Antony Kiragu, also defended the Speaker, claiming that reviving the video of the incident was intended to create a schism 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 county assembly’s disciplinary committee is expected to take action against two MCAs accused of circulating the video.