Kenyans on Twitter have expressed disappointment with Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko after a video of him referring to Embakasi East MP Babu Owino as 'shoga' and 'mbwa' emerged.
In the video taken during campaigns for President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday, Sonko said the MP made a mistake by insulting Uhuru.
"Shoga, takataka, ghasia, umbwa ... tutakudunga ... Tutakutafutia mtu akudunge," the Nairobi county boss said.
This loosely translates to "Homosexual, garbage, dog ... we will look for someone to inject you ..."
"If I have to lose my governor seat let it be. You cannot refer to the President as a dog; you call him that and I call you the same, shoga. We will defend our President and if defending him seems like a show of disrespect then we are ready," Sonko said.
But his remarks were not taken lightly by Kenyans who showed mixed reactions on the matter.
"Sonko
Calls Babu Owino a shoga: Sonko's PR team struggling to polish him with suits and corporate look but a goon is always a goon," blogger Cyprian Nyakundi said.
@Kenya_Politico said, "This is the Nairobi governor Mike Sonko. What is the difference between Sonko & Babu Owino? Sonko mentioned 'Umbwa' 10 times in 5 seconds."
"Just when I thought Sonko
will act like a mature fellow he stooped so low to an MPs,"
Precious Manyara said.
Another user Grayson Marwa called for investigations into the alleged threats by Sonko towards the ODM MP.
"This is just so sad and scary at the same time. This ain't no politics. The threats uttered by Mike Sonko don't feel empty. I hope he's okay," Marwa said.
Owino is in police custody and is expected to be arraigned to face a fresh charge of causing grievous bodily harm on a voter during August 8 polls.
He will also face another election-related charge that he allegedly committed during the campaign period in his area.
Owino was re-arrested on Wednesday, minutes after he was released on a Sh500,000 cash bail in his case of subversion, insulting Uhuru and incitement.
The opposition has condemned the re-arrest of Owino, accusing the government of resorting to banditry and torture tactics.