Dagoretti South Member of Parliament John Kiarie has apologised over remarks he made in Parliament claiming that the images from the 'Occupy Parliament' protests were doctored.
In a statement on Monday, June 24, the lawmaker noted that he deeply regretted his remarks, which he said were unnecessary, misguided and insensitive.
"I truly apologise for the comments I made regarding the protests and the authenticity of certain images. In the heat of the moment during the debate on the Finance Bill, my words were unnecessary, misguided and insensitive. I deeply regret my utterances," Kiarie stated.
The legislator further intimated that he appreciated and celebrated the courage and the creativity shown by the younger generation by advocating for change through social media.
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"I am sincerely sorry for any provocation, hurt or affront that my words may have caused. I have definitely learnt a lot from this and also from all the active listening I have done since," the MP concluded.
During the Finance Bill debate in Parliament, Kiarie claimed that he was a photo expert and that the photos of the protests which were circulating online were from another country.
"Some of the photos we were seeing, I can tell you as a graphic editor that they do not belong to this country. Photos were being taken off the internet and edited and posed as Gen Z," he claimed.
The lawmaker has since faced backlash from netizens and was booed while giving a speech at a funeral in his constituency a few days ago.
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