Prime Minister Raila Odinga has denied accusations of engaging in hate speech in a letter to the National Cohesion and Integration Commission. FILE
By PETER LEFTIE
Posted Thursday, March 31 2011 at 15:02
Posted Thursday, March 31 2011 at 15:02
Prime Minister Raila Odinga has denied accusations of engaging in hate speech.
In a letter to the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, the PM through his Chief of Staff, Caroli Omondi, denied that his utterances at various public functions amounted to hate speech and threatened peace and harmony in the country.
He termed a notice from the Commission warning him against engaging in such utterances as "erroneous".
"The notice of cessation alleges, quite erroneously that the Prime Minister is involved in actions/conduct likely to affect harmonious and peaceful co-existence within this nation, and that he has used words against other national leaders which action could cause disharmony amongst right thinking citizens of our country,” Mr Omondi said in the PM’s response dated March 24.
“While you rightly acknowledge that the alleged actions/conduct attributed to the Prime Minister were not directed to any particular person, you somewhat again, erroneously conclude that they could excite animosity between communities,’” the letter further stated.
It says that in the absence of specific particulars regarding the complaints made against him, the PM was at a loss as to the contents and implications of the Commission’s letter.
In separate letters to the PM, Eldoret North MP William Ruto and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, the commission had accused the three of using demeaning words against other national leaders “which action could cause disharmony to right thinking citizens in the country".
The commission complained that such utterances were likely to cause tension and disharmony ahead of the 2012 elections and asked the leaders to desist from such conduct.
“Take notice that failure to comply with this notice is an offence as provided under section 63(c) as read with section 63(e) of the National Cohesion and Integration Act and is against the provisions and spirit of Chapter 6 of the Constitution,” the commission warned in the letters to the three leaders.
Mr Odinga has been involved in verbal altercations with both Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto over the cases facing them at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the 2012 general election.
Speaking in Parliament last week, Mr Odinga hit out at both Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto asking them to appear before the ICC Pre-trial Chamber and face their accusers instead of going round the country protesting their innocence.
The PM has also maintained that the cases be handled at The Hague since Kenya lacked a credible local mechanism.
Both Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto and their supporters have claimed that the cases facing them at The Hague have been politically instigated by Mr Odinga to lock them out of the 2012 presidential race.
They have also demanded that Mr Odinga’s name be included on the list of suspects since he and his party ODM led calls for mass action following the disputed 2007 presidential election, leading to violent confrontations between their supporters and security forces which left thousands dead.
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