Francis Mureithi

9 September 2010

Nairobi — The Rift Valley Council of Elders has urged the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to probe utterances made by politician Gideon Moi.

Speaking to the Nation in Nakuru Thursday, the elders' spokesman Gibert Kabage said the remarks attributed to the former Baringo Central MP that the internal refugees being resettled in Rift Valley by the government were "impostors" should be investigated.

"This is hate speech and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission should record a statement from Mr Moi," said Mr Kabage.

The council of elders said it was concerned about the continued negative remarks by Mr Moi and wondered whether he was "above the law of the land".

"These kind of remarks have no place in the new Kenya and people like Mr Moi should be now behind the bars."

Mr Kabage said if such inflammatory remarks are allowed they would be a recipe for future violence in Rift Valley and urged the government to crack its whip on such "tribal leaders".

The former MP was quoted by section of the media last Sunday saying that people being resettled in Rift Valley as IDPs were jangili (impostors).

Mr Moi had complained that there were other people who were displaced at Embobut forest but have never been resettled by the government.

Mr Kabage noted that the former legislator was still living in the past yet Kenyans had endorsed a new Constitution that gave everyone the right to settle in any part of the country.

"I think Mr Gideon Moi is still living in the past and should therefore wake up and realise that there is a new Constitution that allows Kenyans to live anywhere," he said.

Mr Kabage urged NCIC to move fast and record a statement with Mr Moi.