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Kenya

Moi: Gema, Kamatusa fanning tribalism

NAKURU, Kenya, Apr 7 – Retired President Daniel arap Moi on Saturday joined those condemning ethnic based political alliances that are emerging ahead of the March 4th general election.

Moi who supported Gema (Gikuyu, Embu and Meru) and Kamatusa (Kalenjin, Maasai, Turkana and Samburu) associations during his last years in power now says the leaders behind the alliances were promoting tribalism noting that Kenya is a multi-party democracy.

“Gema and Kamatusa are retrogressive because they are going against national unity, said the former Head of State at a prize giving day at the Kabarak Primary School.

He said Kenya is not a multi-ethnic cocoon and that the existence of such tribal groupings was retrogressive to national unity as they were bent on balkanizing the nation.

“When you think like a Kamatusa or Gema, you shrink the world view and when moving around the tag is not something to be proud of,” said Moi.

Moi who became President in 1979 banned all ethnic affiliated registered organizations to promote national harmony but his regime embraced the groupings in the advent of multiparty democracy in the 1990’s.

The former President also claimed that the new constitution created loopholes that promoted ethnic balkanization through establishment of county governments.

He said: “The devolved system of governance discourages professionals to seek employment in other counties and this is bad for the country, he said.

Kamatusa and Gema recently endorsed William Ruto and Uhuru Kenyatta respectively as their community leaders and presidential flag bearers in the forthcoming general elections.

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