Kenyan member of parliament censured for wearing Palestine scarf

Kenyan member of parliament Farah Maalim was ordered to remove the traditional Palestinian headscarf he wore during parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday.

The PM said he was wearing the scarf in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

He said Palestine “needs support of everybody in Kenya”.

But the speaker of the National Assembly ordered the MP to remove the scarf, saying the garment violated parliamentary rules.

Fellow MPs also condemned the legislator for “disrespecting” the House rules.

It comes a few days after Kenyan police briefly detained three people for participating in a pro-Palestinian meeting in the capital, Nairobi.

President William Ruto has expressed his government’s full support for Israel in the ongoing conflict.