Ichung’wah Apologizes for Gender CS Nominee Over Femicide Remarks
On Wednesday, April 16, Kikuyu Member of Parliament and Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah apologized on behalf of Hanna Cheptumo, the Gender Cabinet Secretary nominee, for her contentious remark on femicide.
Ichung’wah confirmed that he spoke with the nominee and obtained her apologies for her remarks.
The MP was speaking as she presented a proposal to the National Assembly requesting approval for Cheptumo’s nomination and that of her Public Service counterpart, Geoffrey Ruku.
“Ever since the incident happened, I have indeed spoken to her (Cheptumo) and she has offered her unreserved apologies to the country, to the (National Assembly Appointments) Committee, to this house for that inadvertent statement and I think it is only right that we support this lady,” Ichung’wah stated.
Ichung’wah alluded to Cheptumo’s inflammatory remarks, claiming she was in an uncomfortable situation in which she was in the national spotlight.
Kimani Ichung'wah apologises on behalf of Gender Cabinet Secretary nominee, Hannah Cheptumo, over her controversial remarks on femicide#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/mQqxvVLeGp
— Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) April 16, 2025
“Without being an apologist for her, it is only right we understand the context in which things are said,” Ichung’wah expressed.
“Someone who has not been in the space that she was in that day is likely to make such small mistakes. When you have not less than 20 cameras on your face, people panic and may answer questions in a way that they never intended to.”
On Monday, April 14, Cheptumo made a startling remark when asked to define femicide, leaving several parliamentarians perplexed.
During the vetting, Cheptumo indicated that most victims of femicide were uneducated women. She went on to say that educated people were slain or attacked while searching for money.
This did not sit well with several of the panelists, including committee head Moses Wetangula, who pointed out that the majority of the girls killed in Airbnbs were university students with education.
Cheptumo did not back down, explaining that the educated were looking for money.
“They are educated, but those are looking for money. You know a girl has many needs,” she stated.
Likoni MP Mishi Mboko was equally irritated, calling for a point of order despite the fact that the CS nominee had not apologised.
“It is not good to say that those girls are looking for money and that is why they are brutally murdered,” MP Mboko stated.
Ichung’wah’s remarks came after National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei requested an apology from Cheptumo for her contentious statement.
During the parliament session, Shollei raised a point of order as Ichung’wah was presenting the motion.
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Despite having expressed her agreement for her nomination, she requested an apology from Cheptumo.
“As much as I agree with the leader of the majority on the professionalism of Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, I still think that the statement she made was unfortunate, was completely politically incorrect, and she must apologise,” she remarked.
If accepted, Cheptumo, the widow of the late Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, who died in February, will take over the gender docket, which has been vacant since August 2024.
She is a lawyer by profession and considers herself a women’s rights advocate.
Ichung’wah Apologizes for Gender CS Nominee Over Femicide Remarks
