Why CS Duale is in the spot over alleged ethnic remarks

Cabinet Secretary For Health Aden Duale [File]

Senators have put Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on the spot over utterances he made in Mandera County on Tuesday that may arouse ethnic tensions in the country.

Senators drawn from both the majority and minority sides during the Thursday afternoon plenary seating criticised the remarks made by Duale raising concerns that they were dangerous as the country prepared for the 2027 General Election.

Senate Minority Whip Ledama Ole Kina advised political leaders to be careful against making statements that may appear demeaning to some communities, saying such utterances were likely to reopening the wounds of the 2007/08 post-election violence.

“I was greatly concerned when I heard my good friend the Cabinet Secretary for making a comparison of two communities in public creating the impression that one community was more superior than the other, we should avoid such comments kindly,” said Ledama.

 The Narok Senator told the house that it was such utterances that were made as the country was preparing for the 2007 election that eventually triggered the post-election violence witnessed in the country and left a dark patch in a country that had prided itself as Island of peace.

Ledama urged political leaders irrespective of their political persuasion to reject tribal politics and instead promote national unity and that they should not allow the younger generation to look at themselves from an ethnic point of view but as part of a united country.

Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua also condemned the Cabinet Secretary's alleged remarks, saying public officials must exercise restraint when addressing sensitive ethnic issues and that no leader in his right senses should try to elevate any community above others in the country.

“We all know what happened in 2007, all leaders in the country whether in government or opposition side should be careful about the remarks they are making, for Duale to go as further as appearing to elevate one community against another is very dangerous,” said Wambua.

Garissa Senator Abdul Haji said he had watched the widely circulated clip after receiving it from Senator Wambua and described its contents as disturbing and that if such utterances are allowed to continue they may inflame ethnic tension which may lead to violence in the country.

“Senator Wambua has just shared with me the viral clip where the Cabinet Secretary made those disturbing remarks, under normal circumstances I should be siding with Duale whom we hail with from the same county but if at all he made those remarks that is very wrong,” said Haji.

Senator Speaker Amason Kingi terminated the discussion, telling Senators that parliamentary rules do not permit debate on the conduct of a Cabinet Secretary without a substantive motion on the matter being brought before the house for consideration.

“I would like to caution members that they are going contrary with Senate Standing Orders where we are not allowed to discuss someone who is not in the house without filing substantive motion for the matter to be considered, we are not going to discuss this matter any further,” ruled Kingi.

The Senators were reacting to a widely circulated video in which Duale is alleged to have compared the Somali and Kikuyu communities by population before recounting what he described as historical discrimination against Somalis under previous administrations of Presidents Jomo Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta.

 "Past administrations under Kenyatta, Kibaki and Uhuru marginalised Somalis and deliberately denied our youth national identity cards, they must know Somalis are a majority tribe of 40 million across the region, while these hyenas are only three million and confined strictly to Kenya,” said Duale.

The remarks by Duale have  angered many Kenyans including many from his Somali community  who feel that  such utterances may endanger their businesses with the fact they operate in all parts of the country.