Pressure continues to mount on Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha to resign over his remarks that appeared to profile a Muslim female journalist.
Muslim clerics have now given the CS a seven-day ultimatum to issue a public apology or else they will call for nationwide demos to force him out of office.
"The remarks annoyed us especially because they came from a respectable person like the CS. We were used to hearing such remarks from people like touts and layabouts to our girls in Hijabs," Chair of the Council of Imams and Preachers in Uasin Gishu County Sheikh Abubakar Bini said.
"But if a minister makes such remarks, we are giving him a seven-day ultimatum to issue a public apology across all media outlets or we will hold nationwide demonstrations to force his resignation," he added.
The Iman observed that it was ironic that President Uhuru Kenyatta directed schools not to discriminate against Muslim students in Hijabs but the CS in charge of education matters was doing the exact opposite.
During an interview on Monday, Magoha asked a female Muslim journalist attached to NTV to identify herself before he could respond to her question.
“Kwanza wewe unatoka wapi? Who are you representing? Because if you’re representing al-Shabaab I will not answer you,” Magoha told the scribe.
The remarks angered the Muslim community and caused uproar online.
On Tuesday, a section of Muslim leaders condemned the CS and termed his remarks as ethnic profiling.
The clerics called on the State to institute stern action against the CS.
"Our Constitution acknowledges our religious, tribal and cultural differences; it is saddening that an education minister can utter such words. We are therefore asking the commission in charge of hate speech to take the necessary action against the CS,"Sheikh Ibrahim Lethome said.
Bini appeared to read from the same script.
"In developed countries, a minister like that would resign because it brings a bad picture in our country. Besides, this matter can ignite hostilities between Muslims and non-Muslims across the country," Bini said.
"Let him apologise and resign," he added.
Magoha has not responded to matter.
