Muslim lawyers want Nairobi Speaker Ken Ng'ondi charged for forcing woman to shake his hand

The Association of Muslim Lawyers has come out to condemn Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Ken Ng’ondi over a viral video in which he is seen forcing a Muslim woman to shake his hand during an office birthday party.

The lawyers, in a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, equated the Speaker’s actions with sexual and physical assault.

They hence urged the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to institute relevant charges against the Speaker, terming his behaviour as “is criminal, unethical, 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.

“Such reprehensible behavior is criminal, unethical, immoral and not only violates her religious beliefs but also constitutes a grave violation of bodily autonomy and dignity.”

They added: “We therefore urgently demand accountability and immediate commencement of criminal charges by DCI against Hon. Ken Ng'ondi for this egregious act of sexual harassment.”

Ng'ondi, in the said video, can be seen moving around the office acknowledging good wishes from his colleagues, most of whom are already on their feet singing "Happy Birthday" to him.

The Speaker then pompously walks towards his female colleague - a Muslim - and creates a stir around her, goading her to stand up and shake his hand properly.

Seated behind her are other male colleagues who pick up on the frenzy, also asking the woman to get up and do as her boss instructs.

"Leo unisalimie na birthday!" he says, stretching his hand towards her. "Ni birthday yangu..."

Behind her, some men shout, "Salimia watu, salimia watu!"

At this point, the woman is already evidently flustered, as she appears reluctant to stand up and even look up, and even when she eventually does stand up, her uneasiness is palpable as he throws his hands all over her, attempting to get her to ease off and hug him.

The video has caused outrage on X and elicited angry responses, with lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi stating: "This is physical assault, a gross trespass to the person of the lady. I will be very surprised if criminal charges are not preferred."