Rigathi Gachagua, a Mathira MP, is once again under fire for comments he made regarding the Kalenjin Youth.
According to reports, Gachagua, who had set up camp in Nakuru, made comments that were interpreted as vilifying young people from the Kalenjin people.
Gachagua made an appeal to the Kalenjin youngsters involved in cattle rustling on Friday while speaking at a protest in Njoro.
“Tumeomba watu wawachane na mifugo ya wenyewe kila mtu achunge ng’ombe yake,” Gachagua remarked. “Vijana wetu wa hapa wa jamii yetu ya Kalenjin ambao kazi yao ni kuiba ng’ombe na mifugo.”
It says, “Vijana wetu hapa wa jamii ya Kalenjin, mambo ya ya wizi wa ngómbe ya jamii zingine tuwachane nayo. The mtu akule mali yake tuheshimiane na kila.
On the basis of this, the governor of Nakuru, Lee Kinyanjui, confronted Gachagua, claiming that Gachagua was profiling the Kalenjin Community.
“It follows that ethnic profiling will have a very detrimental effect on how the young people in the neighborhood are seen. A community’s youth cannot all be criminals, he argued.
Every community has criminal elements, and the Kalenjin are no exception. It is wrong and regressive to seek to categorize and label a community negatively on purpose.
Gachagua was then asked to apologize by Governor Lee, who stated that his comments were regretful.
In addition to cattle thieves, he continued, “we have pastors, athletes, farmers, teachers, musicians, and any other profession you can think of.
The least we can hope for, say the well-intentioned young people of Mauche and neighboring communities, is an unconditional withdrawal and an apology.
