Nairobi News

Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Kennedy Ng’ondi is in trouble following a video that has gone viral on social media.

The viral video was recorded on November 20, 2022 during the Speaker’s birthday celebrations, when members of the County Assembly hosted a birthday party for him at the Assembly premises.

In the video, the Speaker is seen forcing one of the Muslim MCAs to shake his hand, which she refused to do.

However, the Speaker kept pushing until the woman agreed to shake hands.

While the motive for circulating the old video remains unclear, the Speaker believes it is a game plan by his political rivals who are trying to fight him.

In response to the video, the Association of Muslim Lawyers has expressed its displeasure with the Speaker’s action and called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigation to take up the matter and investigate.

In a statement, the association claimed that the speaker’s forceful demand that a Muslim woman shake his hand amounted to sexual and physical assault.

While condemning the act, the association said that such reprehensible behaviour is criminal, unethical and immoral and not only violates her religious beliefs but also constitutes a serious violation of her bodily autonomy and dignity.

“We therefore urgently demand accountability and the immediate commencement of criminal proceedings by the DCI against Hon. Ken Ng’ondi for this egregious act of sexual harassment,” the association said in a statement.

The speaker was elected to lead Nairobi County’s third assembly under the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition, defeating Kenya Kwanza’s candidate.

Initially, the speaker said that under his leadership, he would ensure that fairness is served to all MCAs irrespective of party affiliation.