The National Cohesion and Integration Commission has rubbished online news that has gone viral that it had summoned the Democracy for Citizens Party boss, Rigathi Gachagua, concerning inflammatory speeches.
In a statement, the commission explained: “To the date, no action whatsoever has been taken against the former Deputy President” in response to the complaints that had been filed with the commission.
However, the NCIC failed to provide an explanation regarding whether Gachagua’s statement qualifies as hate speech and whether the ex Deputy President can still be invited in the future.
This comes against the backdrop of a series of controversies arising from statements attributed to Gachagua, which he made on January 4 during a church service at AIPCA Kiratina Church located in Githunguri Constituency, Kiambu County.
During the speech, he reportedly associated the construction of a major shopping mall in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area with the funds stolen in the United States, which are part of the Minnesota fraud probe.
In response to the comments, the owners of the Eastleigh mall through their lawyers presented a complaint to the NCIC on Tuesday, alleging that Gachagua was making false and malicious comments about their company.
“Their clients’ business is a legal partnership of theirs that has any involvement with criminal money whatsoever a blatant lie and harmful to their business,” the attorneys wrote in their letter to the commission.
The legal team further cited Gachagua’s repeated use of phrases related to ethnicity, indicating a possible group responsibility against the Somali community. This was deemed to be an example of ethnic vilification, which was feared to have the potential to incite people, and they called upon NCIC to take action, the legal team cited:
In their suit, the mall owners demanded that the commission determine whether or not those remarks amount to ethnic contempt or hate speech, issue a formal censure, or even recommend Gachagua for prosecution if need be.
The current situation has pulled in leaders of political outfits, and Wiper Patriotic Front leader and President William Ruto’s supporter, Kalonzo Musyoka, has commented on the issue. Speaking at the funeral of the late Muhia Njoroge, the father of Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia, on January 7, Kalonzo stated that the unified opposition is standing in solidarity with the Somali community.
“The opposition is also committed to ensuring that there is unity and peaceful coexistence,” he stated, disagreeing with some claims that have since appeared in light of opinions by Gachagua.
Although there had been previous allegations against Gachagua before the issuance of any summons by the NCIC, this was the first time the commission had actually acted on the matter, although previous allegations had only culminated in the receipt of warning letters in the past.
This had reignited accusations from politicians who had supported the former deputy president. While the debate rages on, the NCIC is now being pressured from all corners to clearly tell the world where it stands regarding the quotes and whether or not they constitute hate speech or incitement along the lines of ethnicity.
