The National Super Alliance (Nasa) flag-bearer Raila Odinga will be investigated over his remarks at a rally in Kajiado County last week, Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery has said.
The former Prime Minister however denied making inflammatory remarks touching on land matters at the rally.
FANNING VIOLENCE
Maj-Gen (Rtd) Nkaissery described the remarks as unfortunate.
“Having come from Kajiado Central, I made sure as the then-member of Parliament that people live harmoniously.
“Utterances by somebody who is seeking to be the president of this country are unfortunate and amount to incitement,” Mr Nkaissery said.
“We are waiting for instructions from National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) because the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) will investigate and DPP will prosecute.”
RAILA DEFENDED
National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale and Jubilee Party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju however softened their stand and demanded an apology from the National Super Alliance presidential candidate.
But four MPs from the Odinga-led Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) dared President Uhuru Kenyatta to arrest Mr Odinga over the issue.
REMARKS CLARIFIED
Speaking at the 89th annual inspection parade ceremony of St John Ambulance at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), the CS also threatened to sue Nasa for linking him to Jubilee political strategy meetings as “part of the Mt Kenya Foundation”.
Mr Odinga said at a press conference at the Nasa campaign secretariat in Nairobi: “I talked about land in the context of poverty alleviation and Jubilee government stands accused of depriving the people of Kajiado to the point of selling their land for a song.”
He said the theme of his campaign in the county centered on fighting abject poverty, which he said was deeply entrenched and had forced the Maasai community to sell land on the cheap.
ETHNIC HATRED
Mr Odinga told those calling for his arrest he was not to blame for the poverty in Kajiado and that Jubilee had done little to address the problem by way of implementing the recommendations captured in the land chapter of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission report.
Mr Duale said the remarks were likely to stir animosity in Kajiado and demanded that Mr Odinga apologise.
“I can confess here that, in 2007, ODM party, of which I was a member, used the same hatred techniques through ‘41 tribes against one’. And we saw what happened,” Mr Duale said.
DO NOT DARE
Mr Tuju last week called upon NCIC to bring Mr Odinga to book.
Siaya Senator James Orengo, Homa Bay Woman Representative Gladys Wanga and Senator Moses Kajwang’ (Homa Bay) and Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma warned the President of “the anger of Kenyans”.
They spoke at Asumbi Catholic Church in Homa Bay County during a vote hunting mission for Nasa.
“All Kenyans are ready to move with Mr Odinga to prison. Let Uhuru know that there shall be no election in August if he arrests Mr Odinga,” Mr Orengo said.
FRIGHTENED LOCALS
Meanwhile, Kajiado residents woke up to leaflets asking non-Maasais to leave the county before August 8.
The authors attributed their warning to an order allegedly given by Mr Odinga.
Reports by Fred Mukinda, Ibrahim Oruko, Leonard Onyango, Barack Oduor and Joseph Ngunjiri
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