Uhuru, Kikuyus are not enemies of the Luo community – Ex-CS Kuria

Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has issued a public apology to the Luo community, acknowledging decades of political mobilisation that he said portrayed the Luo and their leaders as adversaries of the Kikuyu community, a narrative he described as harmful and misleading.

In a statement on Wednesday, Kuria said for more than six decades, Kikuyus were conditioned to view the Luo political leadership, particularly the Odinga family, through a lens of hostility for political gain.

He argued that this framing entrenched ethnic divisions and was deliberately sustained to serve partisan interests.

“For 60 years, Kikuyus were sold the devil’s portrait in the name of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Raila Odinga. This worked magic as a tool of political mobilisation,” Kuria said.

Using a religious metaphor to illustrate his point, Kuria added that fear-based narratives had been weaponised to rally political support, even when they distorted historical and political realities.

He said such tactics undermined national cohesion and mutual respect among communities.

“After all, the church can survive without angels but not without a devil to fight. It was wrong,” he said.

Kuria went on to issue what he termed an “unqualified and profuse apology” to the Luo community, stating that the sustained portrayal of the community and its leaders as enemies was unjustified and damaging.

He said the Kikuyu community, particularly leaders from the Mt Kenya region, had a responsibility to confront and correct the historical narratives that fueled mistrust.

“On behalf of the Kikuyu community and Mt Kenya people at large, I offer my unqualified and profuse apology to the Luo Nation,” Kuria said.

At the same time, the former CS cautioned against the perpetuation of counter-narratives that paint the Kikuyu community or former President Uhuru Kenyatta as adversaries of the Luo.

He stressed that political disagreements should not be allowed to harden into ethnic hostility.

“Neither Uhuru Kenyatta nor Kikuyus are an enemy of the Luo Nation. Do not allow us to be turned into a tool of political mobilisation,” he said.

Kuria warned that Kenya could not afford to recycle divisive ethnic narratives for another generation, noting that sustained antagonism would only deepen polarisation and weaken national unity.

He called on political leaders and citizens alike to reject ethnic scapegoating and to embrace dialogue grounded in shared national interests.

“We can’t sustain a devil narrative for another 60 years,” Kuria said, urging a deliberate break from politics built on fear, blame, and ethnic antagonism.