Raila accused of hate speech against Mt Kenya residents

 By FRANCIS NGIGE AND JAMES MUNYEKI

The Party of National Unity is now accusing Prime Minister Raila Odinga of propagating a hate campaign against the Mt Kenya people.

Party Deputy Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni said the Premier had hatched a plot to create a wedge between Mt Kenya people and the rest of Kenyans.

Kioni also the Ndaragwa MP has demanded that the National Cohesion and Integration Commission investigate Raila over claims he allegedly made in North Eastern last week.

"The trend that was used in 1997 is being replicated. Some politicians want to create a wedge between certain communities," said Kioni.

Kioni claimed that the PM told a meeting in Wajir that people from Mt Kenya region perpetrated the Wagalla massacre.

The MP said the party would write to the commission to have Raila probed over incitement.

Kioni said that the sentiments were likely to destabilise the prevailing peace between the people from the two regions.

He regretted that such utterances were not expected from a person serving in government to claim that the same government perpetrated the massacre.

"This is one way of inciting Kenyans by going round the country and opening old wounds claiming that the government and individuals from Mt Kenya region are responsible for committing grave injustice. That is why we want him probed," he noted.

The Nda ragwa MP cited that such incitement statements had been made when Raila was at the Coast to deliberate on Port privatisation, in Taita and in Mau Narok on IDP resettlement.

"We have all these recorded statements when the PM incited the people and we will forward them to the commission led by Mzalendo Kibunjia. We want Kibunja to take action," he noted.

The lawmaker claimed that the PM had embarked on divisive politics after losing numbers in parliament.

He instead called on the Kenya National Human Rights Commission to investigate the Wagalla massacre and not let politicians take over the matter.

"Political leaders should let KNHCR take over the matter and investigate it. It should not be a blame game as it will destabilise the country," he noted.

In a statement issued yesterday, the MP said that the utterances by the premier were similar to those made by politicians before the 2007 post election violence and should be shunned.

"We should not let this happen again and inciting statements should not be allowed to be made. All the commissions should do their work as required by the law," he observed.