A nominated MP’s call for people opposed to President William Ruto’s bid for a second term to leave the Rift Valley has triggered demands for State action.
Nominated MP Joseph Wainaina Iraya is facing mounting condemnation over remarks made in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, in which he told members of a community living in the Rift Valley who do not support President Ruto’s political bid to leave the region and return after the elections.
“If you do not want the two-term arrangement here, leave peacefully and come back after we finish the election,” Mr Wainaina said during a church fundraising event in Kapseret attended by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and other Kenya Kwanza politicians on Sunday.
Mr Wainaina, a prominent businessman in Uasin Gishu said he was warning residents against attempts to isolate the community or oppose the President.
His remarks have, however, been criticised as inflammatory and as an attempt to link political allegiance to ethnicity and the right to live in a particular part of the country.
They have triggered calls for the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to summon and investigate the lawmaker, amid concerns that such rhetoric could reopen old wounds in a region deeply scarred by the 2007/08 post-election violence.
The controversy is particularly striking given Mr Wainaina’s previous involvement in peace-building and reconciliation efforts in the North Rift. He was himself displaced during past ethnic clashes and has campaigned for peaceful coexistence among communities in the region.
His efforts earned him an honorary doctorate from Northwestern Christian University in December 2023 in recognition of his contribution to inter-community peace and harmonious coexistence.
Unacceptable and dangerous
His remarks have raised questions about the responsibility of a lawmaker whose role includes promoting national unity and equal treatment particularly as the country heads towards another potentially divisive election.
Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba condemned the remarks on Facebook, describing them as unacceptable and dangerous and calling on the NCIC to take action against Mr Wainaina.
In Uasin Gishu, local leaders also demanded action against the nominated MP with politician Harun Maina calling on the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) leadership and State agencies to respond to what they described as ethnic incitement and fear-mongering.
The remarks have also generated heated debate on social media with members of the public accusing the lawmaker of ethnic mobilisation and calling on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and NCIC to intervene before political campaigns for 2027 intensify.
In Eldoret, council elders and youths led by Huruma Ward MCA Peter Kimani Wanjohi condemned the remarks and warned against using ethnicity as a political tool in the cosmopolitan city.
“We cannot allow leaders to use reckless rhetoric that threatens the peace and cohesion we have built over the years,” Mr Wanjohi said.
He cited Article 39 of the Constitution, which guarantees every Kenyan the right to freedom of movement and residence, as well as the right to leave or enter the country.
“If the NCIC does not summon Mr Wainaina, as an MCA and a lawyer, I will mobilise citizens to pursue every available legal avenue against him. Such utterances are extremely dangerous, especially as political momentum builds towards the 2027 General Election,” he said.
Council Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) North Rift chairman Sheikh Abubakar Bini also warned politicians against weaponising ethnicity for political gain.
While commending President Ruto for maintaining that his administration upholds the rule of law, Sheikh Bini urged political leaders to exercise restraint and respect Kenyans’ right to make their own political choices.
“All Kenyans have a constitutional right to choose whom to support in 2027, but that must be done with honour, respect, and total adherence to the rule of law,” Sheikh Bini said.
He said the remarks were particularly concerning because Uasin Gishu and the wider North Rift remain politically sensitive because of their history of election-related violence.
The 2007/08 post-election violence claimed more than 1,100 lives and displaced more than 600,000 people across the country following the disputed presidential election results, according to official estimates.
The controversy comes as political activity begins to intensify ahead of the 2027 General Election, raising renewed concern among peace actors and community leaders over rhetoric that could turn political competition into an ethnic contest.
