Lawmakers allied to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua yesterday hit out at the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) for what they termed as biased execution of their mandate following its recent warning on Gachagua.

Addressing a news conference, the over 10 MPs regretted that despite various leaders making derogatory remarks, the commission only targeted Gachagua whose sentiments did not border on incitement but were factual.

They cited the remarks made by Webuye West MP Dan Wanyama on January 19 during a presidential event at Cheptais Boys’ High School in Bungoma County where he stated that the Mt Kenya community would be isolated by all other Kenyan communities henceforth, yet no action has been taken against him.

Led by Senators Dan Maanzo (Makueni) and Joe Nyutu (Murang’a) and National Assembly members Amos Mwago (Starehe), Jayne Kihara (Naivasha), Edward Muriu (Gatanga) and Onesmus Ngogoyo (Kajiado North), they accused President William Ruto of weaponizing the commission and using it to serve his interests.

Said Muriu: “Today, we are dealing with a situation where NCIC has cautioned Rigathi Gachagua from telling off the President specifically for fostering ethnic division and hatred as a political strategy. Ironically, what Gachagua has been doing is defending the rights and interests of the Mt Kenya region against isolation and exclusion from government, based on their ethnic identity.”

And added: “President Ruto has himself embarked on a targeted war against ‘tribalism’ which is clearly targeted at fighting not just HE Rigathi Gachagua, but more fundamentally, the wider Mt Kenya community.

Muriu said what Gachagua has been doing is defending the rights and interests of the Mt Kenya region against isolation and exclusion from government, based on their ethnic identity.

Said Muriu: “His (Gachagua) call against ethnic mobilization of others against some is something we, as elected leaders, fully support. His call against deliberate isolation of members of one community is not hate-speech; not with the history of 2007 where we saw a ‘41 vs 1’ political strategy implemented.”

Maanzo said that Gachagua was only highlighting the systematic exclusion of Mt. Kenya professionals from government positions adding that his call against ethnic mobilization of other is something the leaders support.

He said: “His call against deliberate isolation of members of one community is not hate-speech; not with the history of 2007 where we saw a ‘41 vs 1’ political strategy implemented. It is therefore alarming that what the NCIC is focusing on are the issues of ethnic discrimination that HE Gachagua is raising rather than the ethnic inflammatory and ethnically divisive remarks against communities that are being made by leaders and the President, that continue to remain unchecked.