A Kenyan MP has been arrested after a female colleague accused him of slapping her for not giving money to his constituency.

Rashid Kassim allegedly assaulted Fatuma Gedi, who sits on the budget committee, in the parliament car park in Nairobi on Thursday.

The MP for Wajir East, in northeast Kenya, reportedly confronted his colleague about why she had not allocated funds to his constituency.

An image of Ms Gedi in tears with blood in her mouth was circulated on Twitter after the alleged assault.

Fatuma Gedi

Video footage of female MPs walking out of parliament in protest was also shared on the social media site, alongside the hashtag #JusticeForFatumaGedi.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Kenya confirmed Mr Kassim was arrested in the parliament grounds on Thursday evening.

Mr Kassim has not commented on the alleged incident.