The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has raised an alarm over recorded incidents alleged to cause negative incitement in the country.
ODPP in a statement dated June 7, 2024, said that it has directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate two clips that targeted a particular tribe.
The office warned that the two clips could incite acts such as hatred, discrimination or ethnic contempt among Kenyans.
“The attention of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has been drawn to two videos on social media that could incite ethnic contempt, hatred, hostility, violence or discrimination among Kenyans,” read part of the statement.
According to the ODPP, one of the flagged videos involved the speaker uttering the words “while Kikuyus are fighting Luos, Woriahs are taking over Kenya”.
ODPP Flags clips
In the other video, the speaker says: “…I will make myself part of the people who have started the struggle for the liberation of the Kikuyu. I will tell these people that our enemy is not Ruto, our enemy is the Somalis…”
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Following the two clips, the ODPP noted that it is directing the DCI to conduct investigations and forward inquiry files to the office for perusal.
“Pursuant to Article 157 (4) of the Constitution, the DPP has directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in conjunction with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to expeditiously carry out investigations and forward the resultant investigation inquiry files for perusal and advice” added ODPP.
The first undated flagged video seen by The Kenya Times (TKT) involved a sermon by a religious leader who made the tribal remarks as a reference when delivering the sermon.
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If the investigations by DCI find him guilty of incitement, the preacher who was heard making outrageous, provocative sentiments against some ethnic groups in Kenya could find himself in trouble.
Ethnicity
In a video that has since featured widely on the internet, the preacher while calling upon the congregants to stop fighting each other claimed that the Somali tribe was thriving in businesses and investments as other tribes were at war with each other.
“Kikuyus are busy fighting Luos, Woria is taking over. Woria is no longer a visitor in Kenya these guys the kind of investments they are doing in Kenya is intentional taking over businesses.
The problem is not our political leaders. The problem is our current generation. You and I that are becoming irresponsible and unreasonable busy going by the wave of politics fighting one another hating one another” noted the preacher.
The statement by ODPP comes at a time a section of leaders in the country led by President William Ruto have come out to criticize discrimination and ethnic clashes.
President Ruto during the year’s Madaraka Day celebrations, on June 1 issued a statement making a strong call for unity and patriotism among Kenyans.
The head of state said Kenya will never go back to politics of ethnicity, personalities and exclusion.
“I want to assure Kenyans that we will never go back to politics of ethnicity, personalities and people not being in center of power,” said President Ruto.
According to him, his agenda is focused on the development of the country irrespective of how people voted during the last General Election.
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