The Samuel Kobia-led commission on Tuesday, September 3 mandated Gakuya to avail himself at the commission headquarters located at Upper Hill in Nairobi
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has summoned Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s close ally and Embakasi North Member of Parliament James Gakuya over utterances bordering on incitement.
The Samuel Kobia-led commission on Tuesday, September 3 mandated Gakuya to avail himself at the commission headquarters located at Upper Hill in Nairobi on September 5, by 11 am to aid with investigations.
“The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has summoned Embakasi North Member of Parliament, Hon. James Gakuya to appear before the Commission this Thursday 5th September 2024 at 11.00 A.M. at its offices at Britam Tower, Hospital Road, Upperhill,” announced NCIC.
In a statement, the commission warned that failure by Gakuya to honour the summons is deemed an offence as provided under Section 63(c) as read with Section 63(e) of the National Cohesion and Integration Act.
MP James Gakuya (right) with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. /FILE
Gakuya is accused of reportedly making outrageous, provocative sentiments against the Somali ethnic group at a public gathering during a past event. According to NCIC, the vocal lawmaker’s remarks were likely to incite feelings of contempt, hatred, hostility, violence or even discrimination.
The Embakasi North MP while speaking at a past event claimed that the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) was being handed over to Somalis, warning the Kikuyu against selling their properties in Nairobi CBD to Somalis saying they would take over the entire city from the Kikuyus.
“If you look at Nairobi CBD we have handed it over to Somalis, what I can tell the Kikuyus is that giving out properties that are in Nairobi CBD to those foreigners just because they are the highest bidders with pirate money they get from the ocean and using it buy our properties in Nairobi, they will take Nairobi from us.
“They have taken over Eastleigh and are now targeting Nairobi CBD and we were the owners of those apartments,” said Gakuya.
His remarks make him the second MP in hardly a month to be summoned by NCIC over remarks intent on causing divisions in Kenyan society.
The other MP who was summoned before Gakuya was his Daadab counterpart, Farah Maalim, who sparked uproar over controversial remarks targeted at Gen Zs during the recent anti-government demonstrations.
In the video which went viral, the legislator was heard allegedly stating that if he were the Kenyan President he would have clamped down on anti-government demonstrators.
Despite the summons, the MP had previously maintained that the video that went viral capturing his remarks was manipulated as a political weapon to be used against him.
Backing up his claims, Maalim further accused unidentified people from Somalia of digitally altering the clip in response to chiming in on the politics of Somalia.
Over the years, NCIC has raised issues on tribal issues mostly instigated by a section of politicians in the country and has summoned a series of politicians in regard to remarks bordering on incitement and hate speech along tribal lines, particularly in public events they have addressed.
