Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has said he will not apologise or withdraw remarks that have sparked controversy, insisting that he has done nothing wrong.

Speaking during a fundraising rally in Marsabit on Saturday, July 25, 2026, Duale dismissed criticism over remarks that have circulated widely on social media, saying he would not be pressured to apologise for speaking his mind.

“Msijali maneno mmeona kwa social media. Mimi, I am not going to apologise. Mimi ati nirudi nyuma kwa sababu mtu amesimama anaongea juu ya shares?” Duale said.

He maintained that there was no hate speech in his remarks, arguing that political criticism and comments about access to government opportunities should not be interpreted as ethnic attacks.

“Na hakuna hate speech mbaya kama kushinda mtu akisema wewe huna shares kwa hii serikali, huwezi kupata kazi,” Duale said.

The CS’s remarks come amid growing uproar over comments that have been interpreted by critics as divisive and targeting members of a particular community.

Gachagua urges restraint

Meanwhile, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has urged members of the Mt Kenya community not to direct their anger at the Somali community over Duale’s remarks.

Speaking during a roadside rally in Embu County on Saturday, July 25, 2026, Gachagua said Duale should be held responsible for his own remarks and that the Somali community should not be blamed.

“They have not wronged us. I urge the people of Mt Kenya not to vilify the Somali community, because they have done nothing wrong. It is Duale who has wronged us,” Gachagua said.

He said the relationship between the Mt Kenya and Somali communities had remained strong, particularly in business, and should not be damaged by the remarks of one individual.

“Our relationship with the Somali community is permanent, and we should not allow one individual’s statements to divide us,” Gachagua said.

NCIC launches probe

The controversy has also drawn the attention of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), which has launched investigations into the remarks.

In a statement issued on Friday, July 24, 2026, the commission said it had received a complaint and that its investigations department was conducting a thorough and impartial inquiry.

“The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) acknowledges receipt of a complaint regarding alleged utterances by Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale. Our Investigations Department is conducting a thorough and impartial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the said utterances,” the commission said.

The remarks surfaced after the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, in which Democracy for the Citizens Party candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru defeated the United Democratic Alliance candidate.

Duale had earlier dismissed opposition celebrations over the outcome, arguing that Ol Kalou had not been held by UDA before the election because the late area MP had been elected on a Jubilee Party ticket.