NCIC sends notice to Gachagua over his recent remarks
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) on Monday, March 3, 2025, issued a notice of cessation to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over his recent remarks.
The commission, through its chairperson Samuel Kobia, expressed concerns over Gachagua’s utterances at the AIFCA Antubetwe Kiongo Church Igembe North within Meru County on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
NCIC noted that Gachagua’s remarks were likely to stir up the emotions of a section of members of the Ameru community.
The commission faulted Gachagua’s sentiments, which claimed that President William Ruto had engineered a plan to oust Chief Justice Martha Koome because of her ethnic background.
NCIC dismissed the former DP’s remarks, insisting that they are likely to incite feelings of animosity and undermine peaceful coexistence.
“Your allegation that there is a scheme hatched by the President to remove the Chief Justice from office because of her ethnicity is misleading and meant to promote negative ethnicity and likely to incite feelings of animosity among Kenyans, thus undermining peaceful coexistence,” NCIC stated.
Samuel Kobia also admonished the former DP for warning Ruto not to set foot in Meru if Koome’s is ousted from office.
NCIC noted that Gachagua’s sentiment amounted to a violation of Ruto’s constitutional right and tended to undermine his mandate of serving all Kenyans.
“Your statement warning to the President not to set foot in Meru County if the Chief Justice Hon. Martha Koome is removed from office, is a direct violation of the President’s constitutional right as the symbol of national unity to visit any part of the Country to discharge his official duties as the duly and lawfully elected president of the republic of Kenya,” NCIC stated.
Warning to Gachagua.
Having reviewed his utterances, NCIC warned Gachagua to measure his words to avoid sparking any form of conflict and incitement.
“Having reviewed the statement/utterances attributed to you, the Commission cautions you to exercise more restraint and choose your words more carefully. Whereas the freedom of speech is guaranteed by our Constitution, you are advised not to engage in utterances that amount to propaganda for war, incitement to violence, hate speech or advocacy of hatred based on discriminationthat our concern as a Commission is that such utterances could stir feelings of animosity between communities, which is not good for Kenya,” NCIC warned Gachagua.
“Now therefore in the interest of national cohesion and unity, we do ask you to desist from such or similar utterances/conducts, the particulars of which are best within your knowledge from the date of this notice as they are likely to interfere with peaceful and harmonious coexistence of ethnic groups.”
