A group of Women Members of Parliament have reacted angrily to a violent incident involving a female and a male legislator, warning sternly that they will not tolerate attacks by men colleagues.
They warned yesterday they would not hesitate to hit back, without specifying how, should male lawmakers attack them physically.
Reacting to an incident where Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkel is alleged to have engaged in a fight with his nominated colleague Sarah Korere on Monday, they said time has come for them to defend themselves by whatever means. And last evening, police arrested Lempurkel within the precincts of Parliament and detained him at JKIA Police Station as investigations into the incident started.
According to Nairobi County police boss Japheth Koome, the legislator is expected to appear in court this morning to answer to assault charges.
Before his arrest, a group of lawmakers from the Maa speaking communities led by Narok West MP Patrick Ntutu demonstrated outside Parliament Police Station demanding the arrest of both Lempurkel and Korere, claiming they assaulted each other.
They accused the government of applying the law selectively by arresting the male MP alone. Earlier, the female MPs addressed a press conference where they warned they would no longer tolerate violence against women.
“Rest assured that if you hit one of us, be prepared for a similar dose, we are tired of numerous attacks both physical and verbal by our male counterparts,” warned Murang’a County Women’s Representative Sabina Chege.
Yesterday, the MPs were in particular concerned that even after the incident, Lempurkel went on to write a threatening message to Korere, minutes after the two were involved in a brawl. They reacted with shock to what they termed as the “highest level of impunity” by Lempurkel after they read the abusive short text message.
The message read in part, “Withdraw the case you pro**** or you die, idiot. Enda ukashindane na wanawake achana na politics (...go and compete against women, get out of politics).”
Yesterday, the women MPs asked Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery, in whose boardroom the brawl took place, to order the arrest of the MP for his actions.
Nominated MP Johnson Sakaja, who accampanied the women during the briefing, asked ODM leadership to expel Lempurkel, terming him a “disgrace”.
“It is sad that the MP is roaming freely after assaulting a woman and no action has been taken by the security agencies despite the fact that the incident took place in the office of the CS,” said Taveta MP Naomi Shaaban – apparently not informed of the arrest by then.
The MPs questioned why police boss Joseph Boinnet had not rushed to act with the same speed he acted when Congolese musician Kofi Olomide attacked a female member of his band at JKIA some time back. “Why is the IG not acting the way he did when Olomide misbehaved in our country?” posed Shaaban.
The MPs also want the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to bar Lempurkel from participating in the General Election next year.
“What Lempurkel did was a total violation of the tenets of Chapter Six of the Constitution on Leadership and Integrity and so he should not be allowed to contest in the elections,” said Chege.
On Monday, Lempurkel and Korere were thrown out of Harambee House after they were reportedly involved in a fierce fight. The two were part of a delegation that was to hold a meeting with Nkaissery for, among other issues, peace talks when the drama ensued.
“They were all thrown out of the office after they started shouting at each other before it degenerated into chaos,” said a source. Another witness said the chaos attracedemployees to the boardroom on sixth floor where they were waiting to meet Nkaissery.
Lempurkel later recorded a statement at the Parliament Police Station accusing his colleague of assaulting him, before rushing to the Karen Hospital for treatment. Korere was also rushed to the Nairobi Women’s Hospital where she was treated and discharged.
She complained of chest pains and headache. The two have in the past been engaged in supremacy wars especially after Korere declared interest in the parliamentary seat held by Lempurkel.
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