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Nkaisserry allegedly said: "I want this message to get to Kenyans; hatutaki kabila ingine kukuja kupigania kiti ya governor, ama kiti ya senator ama kiti ya women representative (We do not want people from other communities to vie for governor, senator and women representative posts)."

Kenya

Nkaisserry under probe for hate speech

Nkaisserry allegedly said: “I want this message to get to Kenyans; hatutaki kabila ingine kukuja kupigania kiti ya governor, ama kiti ya senator ama kiti ya women representative (We do not want people from other communities to vie for governor, senator and women representative posts).”

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – Police and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) are investigating Assistant Defence Minister Joseph Nkaisserry for hate speech.

The Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko told Capital FM News he had directed the police and NCIC to investigate the assistant minister after he was heard saying people who are not from the Maa community should not vie for key elective positions in the area.

“If the utterances attributed to Nkaisserry were made, he crossed the line of freedom of expression. Under the Constitution and electoral laws every Kenyan who meets required qualifications has a right to stand for elective positions anywhere in this country,” he asserted.

Tobiko who warned Kenyans that the government will deal with any inciters further advised politicians to be cautious in their utterances to ensure they do not divide Kenyans.

“It is important for our leaders that we be extremely careful in the utterances they make so as not to inflame the ground and not to incite communities against each other. We shall deal firmly with any persons who attempt to incite the public,” he warned.

Nkaisserry was caught on camera in Maibara sub-location of his Kajiado Central constituency saying his community should not accept candidates from other communities to vie for the positions of women representative, senator or governor.

“I want this message to get to Kenyans; hatutaki kabila ingine kukuja kupigania kiti ya governor, ama kiti ya senator ama kiti ya women representative (We do not want people from other communities to vie for governor, senator and women representative posts),” he said.

Nkaisserry further told his people that other communities were only free to contest seats of county representatives and Member of Parliament.

“We have welcomed all other communities, they can come, campaign, do business and even marry our women but we don’t want them to come and vie for the seats of senator, governor and women representative,” Nkaisserry stressed.

According to the Constitution, all eligible Kenyans are free to vie for any seats anywhere in the country as long as they meet the provisions under section 99 of the Kenyan Constitution.

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This is also supported under Section 38 on political rights.

“Every citizen has the right to free, fair and regular elections based on universal suffrage and the free expression of the will of the electors for any elective public body or office established under this Constitution or any office of any political party of which the citizen is a member,” section 38 of the Constitution reads.

The remarks by Nkaisserry come at a time when the country is keenly watching and acting on any utterances likely to incite Kenyans as the country prepares for elections to ensure the violence witnessed in 2008 does not occur again.

Nkaisserry’s alleged hate speech remarks also come about a week after Embakasi MP Ferdinand Waititu was suspended as an assistant minister for inciting his constituents against the Maasai community.

His case is before the court.

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