People's Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has called on President William Ruto to immediately dismiss Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale over remarks she described as ethnically divisive.
Karua warns that failure to take action would be interpreted as approval of tribal politics within the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Speaking during a Sunday service at the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA) in Kathangariri, Manyatta Constituency, Embu County, Karua accused President Ruto of remaining silent despite growing public concern over comments allegedly made by Duale in Mandera County.
She argued that the President has a constitutional obligation to demonstrate zero tolerance for ethnic incitement by members of his Cabinet.
"If President Ruto does not relieve Duale of his Cabinet position, Kenyans will interpret the silence as an endorsement of those remarks," Karua said.
The former Justice Minister also criticized the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), saying the agency had moved too slowly in addressing complaints related to hate speech and ethnic incitement.
She questioned why the commission had not yet summoned the Health Cabinet Secretary, arguing that the delay projected weakness in enforcing laws meant to safeguard national cohesion.
Karua called on the commission to expedite investigations and, where sufficient evidence exists, recommend appropriate legal action.
"No public official should be above the law when statements threaten national unity," she said.
Her remarks come amid an escalating political dispute surrounding Duale's comments delivered in the Somali language during a public event in Lafey, Mandera County.
Critics interpreted parts of the speech as targeting the Mt Kenya region, prompting formal complaints to the NCIC and demands for investigations.
On Friday, the commission confirmed that it had opened investigations into the alleged ethnic incitement.
"The National Cohesion and Integration Commission acknowledges receipt of a complaint regarding alleged utterances by Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale. Our Investigations Department is conducting a thorough and impartial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the said utterances," the commission said.
Duale, however, has rejected the accusations, insisting his remarks were taken out of context and deliberately misrepresented for political purposes.
"I have been widely misquoted, and my remarks delivered in Lafey Constituency have been taken out of context to advance false and misleading narratives," he said.
The Cabinet Secretary explained that the controversial phrase, "Waraabe la-tagis bartay, ka-ridis waa ku dhib," is a traditional Somali proverb referring to the difficulty of abandoning entrenched habits and was never intended to demean any community.
"My message was about the importance of embracing inclusivity as the government continues to ensure that all Kenyans, regardless of their region or ethnicity, have an opportunity to serve the nation," Duale said.
Despite the investigation, Duale has taken a defiant stance, declaring that he will only honour any summons from the NCIC if former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is also compelled to appear before the commission over his own alleged tribal remarks.
"I want to tell the NCIC that the day you are going to summon Rigathi Gachagua is the day you are going to summon Aden Duale," Duale said during a wedding ceremony in Garissa.
"When the NCIC summons me, I must also be accompanied by Rigathi Gachagua... I will not go to the NCIC offices before Gachagua does."
The Health Cabinet Secretary accused the former Deputy President of repeatedly making statements targeting the Somali community without attracting similar scrutiny from the commission.
"If there is one person who has consistently spread hate speech in this country, it is Rigathi Gachagua," Duale said, alleging that the commission applies different standards when dealing with government and opposition leaders.
The controversy has also drawn condemnation from Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who on Saturday called for the resignation of both Duale and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary-General Hassan Omar over separate remarks he described as inflammatory.
"Those people like Duale should not trouble you. A person like that ought to resign. He and the Secretary General of the UDA party, Hassan Omar, have no reason to claim to be public leaders. They have failed the test miserably, together with their chief boss," Kalonzo said during a funeral in Kitui County.
Kalonzo further argued that the State House should be guided by constitutionalism and justice rather than political interests, while warning against arbitrary arrests and alleged intimidation of opposition supporters.
