Wednesday, April 16, 2025 - National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has issued a public apology on behalf of Gender Cabinet Secretary nominee, Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, over her controversial comments on femicide.
While tabling a motion in the National Assembly for the
approval of Cheptumo and her Public Service counterpart, Geoffrey Ruku,
Ichung’wah, said thathe had personally spoken to Cheptumo, who expressed her
“unreserved apologies” to the Committee on Appointments, the House, and the
nation.
“Without being an apologist for her, it is important to
understand the context.”
“With over 20 cameras in your face, it’s easy to panic and
misspeak,” Ichung’wah stated, suggesting the remarks were unintentional and
made under pressure.
During her appearance before the
National Assembly Committee on Appointments, Cheptumo stated that most femicide
victims were uneducated women.
Her comments triggered an immediate
backlash from lawmakers, including committee chair Moses Wetangula, who pointed
out that many victims of femicide in Kenya, particularly those murdered in
Airbnbs, were university students.
She went on to claim that educated
victims were often attacked while “looking for money,” saying, “You know, a
girl has many needs.”
Likoni MP, Mishi Mboko, also raised a
point of order, condemning the implication that victims were to blame.
“It is not good to say that those girls
are looking for money and that is why they are brutally murdered,” she said.
National Assembly Deputy Speaker, Gladys Boss Shollei,
echoed the call, terming the statement “politically incorrect” despite
supporting Cheptumo’s nomination.
Cheptumo, a lawyer and widow of the late Baringo Senator
William Cheptumo, is expected to fill the Gender docket, which has remained
vacant since August 2024.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
0 Comments