- Parties are not taking action against members who issue inflammatory remarks while communities where these leaders come from appear to tolerate political thuggery.
- Chairman Kobia was reacting to recent utterances by Emurua Dikirr MP Johanna Ng'eno and his Kapseret counterpart Oscar Sudi.
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission now says parties and communities are partly to blame for the inflammatory statement being issued by some politicians.
NCIC chair Samuel Kobia explained that parties and communities seem to tolerate politicians who make utterances that may incite Kenyans against each other.
“Parties are not taking action against members who issue inflammatory remarks while communities where these leaders come from appear to tolerate political thuggery,” he said.
He said parties and communities are not looking at provocative remarks of their members objectively.
Kobia was reacting to recent utterances by Emurua Dikirr MP Johanna Ng'eno and his Kapseret counterpart Oscar Sudi.
There were chaotic scenes as Ng’eno was being arrested by police on Monday. Officers had a hard time controlling the huge crowd that had pitched tent at the MP’s home after getting wind of his impending arrest.
Officers were forced to fire in the air to disperse the crowd that had attempted to stop the arrest.
Ng’eno’s party Kanu has since told the Emurua Dikirr legislator to resign or risk being expelled following his remarks at the weekend.
Kanu secretary general Nick Salat said utterances made by the MP to President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is a former member of Kanu, were an insult to the party.
Salat said the party had resolved to part ways with Ng'eno for failing to observe the leadership and integrity provisions of its constitution.
Kobia said the NCIC was equally shocked by the utterances made by the two legislators. He implored Kenyans to exercise restraint and tolerance as the relevant agencies address the matter.
“However angry one is, you should learn to control your tongue. Those (Ng’eno and Sudi) are not people who qualify to be called leaders,” he added.
Kobia said no one should be protected because they are members of certain political parties or come from particular communities.
“We have a worrying situation as a country. We have reached a new low and something needs to be done quickly to rectify the matter,” he added.
He promised that the NCIC will not be selective in dealing with leaders who are inciting Kenyans against each other. He noted that the commission's function is primarily prevention of discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity and to advocate cohesiveness, among diverse groups.
Ng’eno was arraigned on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to charges of incitement to violence.
Nakuru chief magistrate Elizabeth Osui directed that the lawmaker be remanded for two days after the prosecution opposed his release on the grounds that he could interfere with investigations.