Kenya MP arrested ‘for slapping female colleague’

• Posted on June 14, 2019
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

A Kenyan MP has been arrested for allegedly slapping a female colleague because she did not allocate money to his constituency.

Rashid Kassim is accused of slapping Fatuma Gedi, who sits on the budget committee, in the capital Nairobi.

A photo of Ms Gedi crying with blood in her mouth after the alleged assault has been shared widely on Twitter.

Female MPs subsequently walked out of parliament in protest after their male colleagues mocked them.

Mr Kassim, MP for Wajir East in north-eastern Kenya, is accused of attacking Ms Gedi in the parliament building car park after confronting her about why she had not allocated money to his area.

Male MPs then made fun of their female counterparts in parliament over the incident, MP Sabina Wanjiru Chege told BBC Focus on Africa.

“Some of our male colleagues started mocking us and saying it was slapping day,” she said.

Ms Chege added that they said “women needed to have manners” and “we need to know how to treat men”.

Female MPs subsequently walked out of parliament, demanding the arrest of Mr Kassim, who was subsequently detained.

“We are all members of parliament… we are no lesser than them,” Ms Chege said.

Mr Kassim has not commented on the incident.

Source: BBC