NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 27 – Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has demanded that Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale withdraw remarks he made about the Kikuyu community and issue an unequivocal public apology, saying his comments were divisive and his refusal to retract them was unacceptable. In a statement on Sunday, Wahome criticized Duale for remaining defiant despite mounting calls for him to apologize. Aden Duale, your recent remarks against the Kikuyu community have brought out the worst in you.
You have been called to apologise but you said no because, according to you, other people have made worse mistakes,” she said. Rejecting Duale’s argument that other politicians had made more inflammatory remarks without attracting similar criticism, Wahome said such reasoning could not justify his conduct. “Two wrongs don’t make a right… You should withdraw your remarks and apologise profusely,” she added.
Her remarks came a day after Duale declared he would not apologize over the controversy, insisting he would not retreat from his position despite growing public criticism. Speaking during a resource mobilization event at Karare Primary School in Saku Constituency, Marsabit County, on Saturday, the Health CS dismissed the backlash and urged supporters to ignore criticism circulating on social media. “Do not worry about the issues you are seeing on social media.
Do you expect me to back down from my stance?” Duale said. In what appeared to be a veiled reference to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s past “shareholding” remarks, Duale argued that other political statements had been more divisive than his own. “There is no worse form of hate speech than someone standing up and declaring that another person has no share in this government and therefore will not get a job opportunity,” he said.
The controversy stems from remarks Duale made during a community empowerment event in Lafey Constituency, Mandera County, where critics accused him of making ethnically charged comments targeting the Kikuyu community. However, in a statement issued on Friday, Duale said he had been widely misquoted and that his remarks had been taken out of context. He explained that the Somali proverb, “Waraabe la-tagis bartay, ka-ridis waa ku dhib,” is a common figurative expression describing the difficulty of abandoning long-held habits or entren…
NAIROBI, Kenya July 27 – All eyes are on the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) this week after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale refused to apologise over his ethnic controversial remarks trageting the Kikuyu community, leaving Kenyans waiting to see whether the commission will take action. Duale has insisted he stands by his comments despite mounting criticism, with many now waiting to see whether NCIC will take decisive action or reinforce its long-standing reputation among critics as a toothless commission that issues warnings but rarely follows through with tough enforcement. The Cabinet Secretary also accused NCIC of applying double standards, arguing that the commission should investigate all leaders accused of making divisive statements.
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