Politics of ethnic profiling must be condemned

Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

On Friday, Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria warned that President Uhuru Kenyatta and by extension the Kikuyu community will be cursed if they support Raila Odinga for the presidency. According to Mr Kuria, this curse will descend upon the community for defying an oath administered by Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in the 1960s on who to never vote for.

It is unfortunate that this kind of politics based on people's ethnic backgrounds or their beliefs and practices is still with us in the 21st century when our leaders and Kenyans at large should be better informed.

But even if we look at the merits of Kuria's warning, it holds no water. First, Uhuru and the majority of the current Kikuyu voters did not take this so-called oath and are therefore not bound by it. Secondly, the president should be applauded for breaking a rather archaic belief that his community should and cannot support politicians from a particular community, for whatever reason.

Going forward, such politics based on ethnicity should not be permitted in any part of the country because it borders on hate speech and could easily incite people to violence. In certain parts of the country today, especially cosmopolitan areas, there are people already living in fear because they are perceived to support a politician that is not popular in the region, just because they share an ethnic background with the said politician.

Every election year, there are Kenyans who have to relocate from their workplaces or homes because of the fear of being ethnically profiled and attacked by their neighbours, friends and colleagues. Why should this be allowed to happen? The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) should clamp down heavily on such hate mongers and ethnic profilers. Such politicians should be declared unfit to hold public office and they surely belong in jail.

Political aspirants in whose names this hate is being propagated should also come out strongly to condemn such remarks by people in their camps and demystify the myth that certain communities cannot support particular candidates.

It is on this basis that Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto ran on a joint ticket in 2013 and 2017, shattering the wrong and long-held belief that the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities cannot vote together. It is therefore unfortunate that Mr Kuria made the statement on oathing and the uncircumcised in Dr Ruto's presence, but the DP chose not to condemn it.

We must appreciate that Kenya's politics is still largely volatile and emotive, the reason our politicians must be measured in their speeches. It is because of this volatility that certain words that are seen to have hate connotations, such as "madoadoa", are not allowed for use in political rallies.

Because of this word, which Mr Odinga used in a recent rally in Wajir, he is set to appear before NCIC to answer accusations of hate speech. We want to see more of such summonses and strict action taken against those found culpable.