• The legislators says it is time to condemn any form of violence on anyone.
• Say perpetrators should not go unpunished.
Image: COURTESY
A section of Women Parliamentarians has continued to push against harassment on their colleagues.
The group currently camping in Muranga for an 'Embrace Rally' have vowed to stop at nothing to ensure their male counterparts are punished for any violence and harassment against women MPs.
This comes after Wajir East MP Rashid Amin assaulted his Woman Rep Fatuma Gedi at the Parliament premises.
Rashid on Thursday afternoon accosted Fatuma in Parliament and engaged her in a heated discussion before physically assaulting her as legislators and security officers watched helplessly.
The legislator is said to have demanded to know why Gedi – a member of the budget committee – did not allocate any money to his Wajir East Constituency during the recent visit by the budget team.
In solidarity with Gedi, a section of women MPs stormed out of parliament disrupting the afternoon session just minutes before Treasury CS Henry Rotich presented the budget.
The women in solidarity songs demanded action against Amin and Majority leader Aden Duale.
They accused Duale of having failed to stand for women as a leader in the August house.
The Women said Amin should be expelled as an MP and IEBC allowed to conduct a by-election.
On Friday, the women dressed in white clothes and pink flowers advanced their calls saying investigative bodies should not leave any stone unturned.
Led by Murang'a Woman Rep Sabina Chege and her Busia counterpart Florence Mutua said it is unfortunate that MPs who are supposed to act as role models have the guts to assault their women counterparts.
"You can imagine if a woman can be assaulted within the vicinity of the parliament, this is a clear indication that women in this country are not safe," Mutua said.
"As women all we are saying we want peace. We shall not rest, and we shall prove to our male counterparts that we are not just flower girls as they have perceived," she added.
Her sentiments were echoed by Sabina Chege who said Dulae should be blamed for leading the male brigade to demean women.
"If you are angry, walk away. We are not just against violence on women, no man should harass women and so should no woman attack a man," Sabina said.
With the recent public spat between Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and Woman Rep Esther Passaris, Sabina said the trend is setting a bad precedent and needs to be contained before it escalates.
"Security agencies need to move swiftly with such matters. We should not allow as a country any violence on anyone go unpunished," she said.