Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Kennedy Ng’ondi has broken his silence after facing criticism from members of public over a video in which he appeared to force a Muslim woman to shake his hand and hug him.
Speaking to the press on April 17, 2024, Ng’ondi said that the event which was captured at his surprise birthday party was blown out of context.
He further apologized to the woman in the video together with her family, adding that the events of that day were never meant to disparage anyone.
“I want to reach out to the family of Mzee Abei and his daughter Hon. Fatuma who is one of my devoted members of the Assembly. I have a lot of respect for women, Muslim leaders, and all other religious set ups,” said the speaker.
The speaker further revisited the event noting that the birthday party was organized by women leaders at the County Assembly back in November 2022.
An earlier spot check by The Kenya Times had established that indeed the viral video was taken at a birthday party that happened back in 2022.
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After conducting a reverse image search, it led us to the Ng’ondi’s Facebook page where he had posted some of the photos of the ceremony.
“What a pleasant surprise by my colleagues at the Nairobi County Assembly as I celebrated my birthday alongside The Majority Leader Hon. Peter Imwatok Jateso,” posted Ng’ondi.
Nairobi Speaker incident
In the photos, the speaker can be seen visibly happy enjoying the party with other members of the County Assembly flaunted by refreshments including a birthday cake and drinks.
Ng’ondi faced criticism from social media users on April 16 after the viral video clip of the fateful day emerged sparking anger.
Many called him out for disregarding the woman’s personal religious background, personal boundaries, and consent.
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In the video, Ng’ondi was seen walking towards the woman who was sitting.
He further went on to goad her to stand up and shake his hand as other male colleagues sitting behind joined in asking the woman to get up and honor the speaker’s request.
The woman who was visibly flustered and reluctant to look up and stand up eventually got up, before pushing for a hug.
This prompted the woman to hastily evade the hug and return back to sit before Ng’ondi proceeded to greet other members.
The clarification from the speaker came after the Association of Muslim Lawyers urged the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to institute relevant charges against him terming his behavior as “immoral unethical, and criminal.”
