NCIC, in a statement, revealed that Mutua was however set free after recording a statement.
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) on Sunday, September 8 announced the arrest of Kitui County Assembly Deputy Minority Leader Jeremiah Mutua days after he was summoned over a reckless Facebook post.
Reports indicated that Mutua, who is also a Member of the County Assembly (MCA) at Ngumu Ward, was arrested on his way to a church service in his home at Miuni village. He was bundled into an unmarked Land Cruiser that then sped away.
NCIC, in a statement, revealed that Mutua was however set free after recording a statement.
Kitui County Assembly Deputy Minority Leader, Jeremiah Mutua. /FACEBOOK.JEREMIAH MUTUA
“The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has today, 8th September 2024, arrested Hon. Jeremiah Mutua MCA Ngumu Ward and Kitui County Assembly Deputy Minority leader over ethnic contempt. The MCA has since recorded a statement and released as further investigations are undertaken,” stated NCIC.
“The Commission calls on the affected communities, especially politicians, to exercise tolerance as the rule of law takes its course.”
The genesis of Mutua’s brush with the commission began from a series of posts first shared on August 27 where he reportedly asked all camel herders to vacate the ward.
“I have given 24 hours notice to Camel herders grazing in Sosoma-Mwanzele & Ukasi villages to move out of the Kamba grazing land,” read the post which was pulled down by the time Viral Tea did spot checks.
He also illegally ordered all those who sold land to herders to make arrangements to recover their money immediately while threatening to cordon off land and water reservoirs.
Soon after the summon was issued, the MCA responded to NCIC on his Facebook page citing, “The truth is like a lion, set it loose and it will defend itself”, apparently as a show of defiance.
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 regarding remarks bordering on incitement and hate speech along tribal lines, particularly in public events they have addressed.
Recently, NCIC summoned Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s close ally and Embakasi North Member of Parliament James Gakuya over utterances bordering on incitement, mandating him to avail himself at the commission headquarters located at Upper Hill in Nairobi on September 5, by 11 am to aid with investigations.
Gakuya was 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.
It was yet to be established if the lawmaker honoured the summons by the time of going to press.
