Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused senior Kenya Kwanza leaders of fueling ethnic profiling against the Mount Kenya region, rejecting an apology by United Democratic Alliance, UDA, Secretary General Hassan Omar and claiming the remarks were part of a broader political scheme ahead of the 2027 general election.
Speaking at the Democracy for Citizens Party, DCP, headquarters in Nairobi on Monday, Gachagua said Omar’s apology was insufficient, arguing that the comments were not isolated but reflected what he described as a coordinated attempt to isolate Mount Kenya voters politically.
“We want to reject in total the attempt by Hassan Omar to apologize to the people of Mount Kenya region for inciting Kenyans against them,” Gachagua said.
The DCP leader alleged that senior figures in the ruling coalition had been deployed to advance divisive political messaging, naming Omar and senate speaker Amason Kingi among leaders he claimed were reading from a common political script.
“Hassan Omar is just a mouthpiece of William Ruto. Those utterances were discussed at State House, Mombasa, and everybody was given a script,” he alleged.
Gachagua further accused president William Ruto of failing to rein in leaders accused of making inflammatory remarks, saying the Head of State could not publicly denounce tribalism while allegedly tolerating ethnic attacks from within his political camp.
The controversy comes amid rising political temperatures, with several leaders from Mount Kenya also criticizing Omar’s remarks and warning that ethnic baiting could reopen wounds linked to Kenya’s history of election-related violence.
Kirinyaga governor Anne Waiguru and her Nyeri counterpart Mutahi Kahiga are among leaders who have publicly condemned the remarks.
Omar, in a statement dated May 24, said his comments had been misunderstood and were made in the context of historical land injustices at the Coast. He said they were not intended to demean or target any community and extended an apology to those who may have been offended.
Separately, National Cohesion and Integration Commission, NCIC, chairperson Bishop Dr Kepha Omae warned political leaders against intolerance, violence, hate speech and ethnic incitement, saying freedom of expression should not be abused to promote lawlessness or division.
Omae said the commission was concerned by political disruption of meetings, coordinated attacks, ethnic profiling and the use of social media to spread hate speech and unrest.
“Freedom of expression does not mean hate speech or ethnic remarks,” he said, adding that leadership was not a license to divide Kenyans.
He said NCIC would not hesitate to act against anyone found culpable, regardless of their political status.
“No one is above the law,” he warned.
Omae, who was sworn in as NCIC chairperson on May 20, takes over the cohesion agency at a politically sensitive time, with the commission expected to play a central role in monitoring hate speech and promoting national cohesion ahead of the next election.
Follow our social media pages for breaking news updates, in-depth stories and videos.
news@nairobilens.ke
