Civil society group Bunge La Mwananchi and three activists have filed a petition seeking the immediate suspension of Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, accusing him of making ethnically divisive and inflammatory remarks in violation of the Constitution.
In the petition filed before the High Court in Nairobi, the group alongside Lawrence Oyugi, Komrade Bush, and Nicholas Kimanzi argue that Governor Kahiga’s utterances at a public function in Nyeri in October 2024 amounted to hate speech and a breach of his oath of office.
Through a certificate of urgency, the petitioners claim that Kahiga’s comments, delivered in the Kikuyu language, were loaded with ethnic innuendo and mocked the late opposition leader Raila Odinga, remarks they say have since ignited “tense and hostile public discourse” across the country.
The petitioners contend that the statements created an “us-versus-them” narrative, suggesting certain ethnic communities were being sidelined, and that Kahiga’s reference to “Kayole” a neighbourhood associated with the Luo community was derogatory and discriminatory.
They further accuse the governor of weaponizing a national tragedy for political advantage, saying his remarks following Odinga’s death amounted to a callous attempt to deepen ethnic divisions.
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