Flashy Fight: Kenyan Lawmaker Insists on Wearing Bling to Parliament

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Kenyan lawmaker Gidion Mbuvi has been told to ban the bling, and he’s not happy about it.

The 35 year-old MP was thrown out of parliament on Tuesday for wearing ear studs and sunglasses at an assembly hearing. Other MPs decided the way he dressed offended the dignity of proceedings and was not fitting for a man in his position. Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim said the house had never before seen a male lawmaker wearing earrings (and the Kenyan parliament is not a place for fashion firsts.)

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“I represent the youths who elected me to Parliament,” an angry Mbuvi said in response, “This is our generation. It is our time.” A time that, according to Mbuvi, is marked by driving Hummers and dripping in diamonds.

More commonly known as Sonko (Swahili for a rich and flamboyant person), Mbuvi has had a very colorful past. He has been questioned by Kenyan police over allegations of involvement with drugs, which is strongly denies, and is known as an eccentric figure on the political scene.

The modern MP insists he has done nothing wrong: “I’m trying to prove to the world that it is the right time for the youth to be in charge of our nation,” he said. And what does it mean to be in charge if you can’t bling it up a bit? (Via BBC News)

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