Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has challenged the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to summon Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua over alleged hate speech, saying he will only honour the commission’s summons if the former deputy president is also investigated.
Speaking in Garissa, Duale accused the NCIC of applying double standards by targeting government officials while allegedly ignoring similar remarks made by opposition leaders.
Duale claimed Gachagua had made inflammatory statements against the Muslim community and insisted the opposition leader should face questioning before any action is taken against him.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale. Photo: Courtesy.
“The day I will go to NCIC, I must go with Gachagua. I will come with my lawyers and he with his. If there is anyone with the number one Kenyan hate speech, it is Gachagua,” Duale said.
The Health CS maintained that he would not respond to the commission’s summons unless Gachagua was also investigated over his alleged remarks against the Muslim community.
Duale was summoned by the NCIC following criticism over remarks in which he used a proverb referencing the Kikuyu community, drawing condemnation from opposition leaders and the Jubilee Party, who termed the comments offensive and called for an apology.
Despite calls for his resignation from leaders including Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Duale has defended his remarks, insisting the proverb was not directed at any ethnic community but was intended to illustrate the difficulty of breaking long-standing habits.
