A section of Parliament grounds on Tuesday resembled a poorly scripted reality show — complete with flying insults and bruised egos — after two lawmakers, allied to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and United Democratic Alliance (UDA), took matters too far and engaged in a fistfight.
ODM-nominated MP Umulkher Harun Mohamed and her UDA counterpart at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Falhada Iman, became embroiled in a physical altercation that saw both lawmakers wrestled to the ground in a dramatic and chaotic exchange.
Videos and images captured by Kenyans.co.ke show the two trading blows as stunned colleagues rushed to break up the brawl.
The scuffle, which unfolded in full view, has been widely condemned as unbecoming and dishonourable conduct from elected leaders.
Surprisingly, amid the chaos, some voices in the background appeared to cheer them on, urging the fight to continue.
Shortly after, a Parliamentary Sergeant-at-Arms intervened and struggled to separate the two. It was at this point that other leaders attempted to assist in calming the visibly agitated lawmakers.
Soon after, the two began exchanging insults, leaving many to wonder why they allowed their emotions to take over.
ODM’s Umulkheir later took to social media to address the incident, apologizing to the public.
‘’Today, an unfortunate incident occurred on the parliamentary grounds, a situation I deeply regret both as a Member of Parliament and as a mother. My colleague from the EALA, who has expressed longstanding differences with my work, acted in a manner that I find unacceptable. She came to Parliament with the sole intention of attacking me, and the incident blindsided me, leaving me questioning the reasons behind the ambush,’’ Umulkheir stated.
‘’I sincerely regret this occurrence and want to emphasize that I do not endorse or encourage any form of misconduct. While I am not providing further comments at this time, I remain fully committed to upholding the respectful and dignified standards expected of our institution and myself, particularly as a Muslim woman.’’
However, her EALA and UDA counterpart had yet to comment on the circumstances surrounding the dishonorable act at the time of publication.
The development attracted backlash on social media, with users from across the political divide condemning the incident.
