Eldoret-based human rights activist Kipkorir Ngetich has strongly condemned former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over what he termed as inflammatory and dangerous political rhetoric that threatens Kenya’s peace and national cohesion.
In a statement issued on Friday, Ngetich accused Gachagua of attempting to incite fear and ethnic division following the former DP’s recent remarks suggesting that Kenya could witness worse violence than the 2007/08 post-election crisis if electoral malpractice is perceived in future elections.
“As a national leader and former Deputy President, Mr. Gachagua should be a voice of unity, not one that invokes memories of national tragedy,” Ngetich said. “Thousands died and many more were displaced in 2007. Using that trauma as a political threat is reckless and unacceptable.”
The human rights defender warned that Gachagua's newly formed Democratic Conservative Party (DCP) appears to be fostering a political agenda rooted in division, claiming the party is being used as a platform to stoke ethnic tension and incite chaos ahead of the next election cycle.
Ngetich further raised alarm over alleged reports that Gachagua may be mobilizing and arming youth groups under the guise of political organizing, calling for immediate investigations by national security agencies.
“If these reports are true, they point to a dangerous mission to destabilize this country. Kenya cannot and must not be allowed to slide back into bloodshed,” Ngetich asserted.
He also criticized the silence of institutions such as the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), urging them to act swiftly against what he described as a growing threat to national stability.
“The NCIC and other oversight bodies must stop being spectators. The former Deputy President’s rhetoric is a threat to our democratic fabric and national peace,” he said.
Ngetich also called upon GEMA elders and political leaders from Mt. Kenya to distance themselves from Gachagua’s remarks and take a public stand for unity and national healing.
“Silence in the face of incitement is complicity. Mt. Kenya leaders must rise to the occasion and defend the image of their community from being weaponized for selfish political agendas,” he added.
He concluded by appealing to Kenyan youth not to be used as pawns in political conflicts, urging them to remain peaceful, patriotic, and to reject leaders who seek to divide the nation.
“Kenya belongs to all of us. No leader, regardless of position or influence, should be allowed to incite violence or threaten the democratic stability we have fought so hard to build,” said Ngetich.
Gachagua has not responded to the allegations or criticism as of the time of this publication.
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