Kenyan MP Rashid Amin charged with assaulting Fatuma Gedi

NAIROBI, Kenya - Wajir East member of Parliament Rashid Kassim Amin was on Friday charged with assaulting Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Gedi.

Amin denied the charge before Milimani Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi and was released on a cash bail of Sh50,000 ($491,000].
His lawyers told the court that he developed mental complications on Thursday night so he was rushed to Agha Khan Hospital.

Rashid was arrested on Thursday night after being questioned for two hours over the incident that Ms Gedi said took place at the parking lot earlier in the day.

He was interrogated from 5 pm to about 8 pm when officers decided to detain him at Central Police Station ahead of the arraignment.

WHAT HAPPENED

Gedi said Mr Amin approached her while she headed to a committee meeting at Protection House, which is outside Parliament buildings.

Homa Bay Woman Representative, who was with her, said she stepped aside to allow the two to speak.

“I stood aside and gave them space as they started talking in their local dialect, but within a few minutes, I saw Mr Amin punching my colleague and she started crying and bleeding,” Ms Wanga said.

“I could not believe that a male colleague could assault his female colleague."

Amin reportedly accused the MP, who is a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, of failing to allocate money to his constituency during a recent committee visit to Wajir.

It was said that Wajir West MP Ahmed Kolosh held him back after he attacked Gedi.