NCIC summons Natembeya over alleged inflamatory remarks
By Rawlings, November 21, 2023
National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has summoned Governor George Natembeya to respond to allegations of making inflammatory statements, which have sparked threats against his deputy, Philomenah Kapkory.
NCIC chairperson Rev Samuel Kobia yesterday told the Senate Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations Committee that the commission is probing Natembeya for the offense of ethnic contempt and hate speech.
“The commission has issued the summons to the governor and he is scheduled to appear before NCIC on Monday, November 28, 2023 at 10am,” Rev Kobia told members of the committee chaired by Wajir Senator Sheikh Abbas.
According to a submission by the NCIC before the committee, the allegations against Natembeya (pictured) center on potential violations of the NCIC Act, specifically Section 62 (1) relating to Ethnic Contempt and Section 13 (1) on Hate Speech.
Kobia said that the commission had launched investigations into alleged inflammatory remarks Natembeya made that was going viral in various social media platforms.
Appear before commission
“NCIC investigators travelled Trans Nzoia County in order to serve Governor Natembeya with summons to appear before the commission. We have also written a letter to the Communication Authority of Kenya requesting for the retrieval of the Governor’s utterance clip,” said Kobia.
The bitter feud between Natembeya and his Deputy Kapkory, who hails from the minority Sabaot community, has been ongoing for several months.
The conflict has reached a point where the deputy governor felt compelled to flee the county, expressing concerns for her safety and now operates from her Nairobi home.