The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has issued an apology following remarks made by Meru Senator Mithika Linturi at the party's Eldoret rally on Saturday, January 8, 2022.
In a statement on Monday, January 10, the party noted that the senator's 'madoadoa' remarks had caused an uproar among members of the public and among politicians, but maintained that his sentiments were misinterpreted.
UDA Secretary-General Veronica Maina explained that Linturi's remarks were that UDA's party supporters in the region should unswervingly harness their collective voting strength, towards resolute support of Deputy President William Ruto's presidential bid, and the election to political offices of those aligned to UDA in the forthcoming elections.
"During the call for the region's political support of UDA-aligned leaders, Hon. Linturi used the Swahili term 'madoadoa' as a figurative identifier of UDA's political opponents in the region and urged UDA supporters not to elect such during the oncoming elections.
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File image of UDA Secretary-General Veronica Maina. |Photo| Courtesy|
"In the matrix of Kenya's ordinary political nomenclature and campaign usage, the term "madoadoa" has been benignly and figuratively used by diverse political leaders to whip up the highest level of voting support for their respective political parties, in what is otherwise also known as "six-piece voting pattern" (which all Kenyans are now well familiar with) to connote voting for a Party's candidates through the entire spectrum of elective positions, inclusive Presidential, Governor, Senator, Women Rep, Member of National Assembly, and Member of County Assembly," the statement read in part.
Maina further noted that Jubilee Party, ODM, among others, have all used the word in their campaign trails, without evoking any eerie interpretation from the pure and benign meaning of the term, that is now common within Kenya's political messaging.
"UDA, therefore, believes that this is the context within which Hon Lintuli used the term "Madoadoa" during the Eldoret Rally just as Governor Kimemia of the Jubilee Party has done in the recent past in a local media station while calling for purposive support of Jubilee Party in the Mt. Kenya Region," she stated.
The UDA Party proceeded to apologise for what it believes is an adulterated meaning and interpretation of what Senator Linturi meant so as to provoke anger among members of the public ahead of the elections.
"UDA reaffirms its founding principles of equitable development, respect for diversity, and freedom from all forms of discrimination are designed to realize durable peace and security in the country.
"As such, UDA assures the public that it will remain uncompromising in its commitment to Constitutionalism, inclusive governance and peaceful coexistence which admit no place for ethnic sectarianism likely to foster division and conflict.
"If anything, UDA's focus on building a national party based on the equality and dignity of all and the pursuit of economic justice is the very antithesis of ethnic-based mobilization," the statement read in part.
UDA further proceeded to welcome a probe by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) into the Meru Senator's remarks.
"The Party, therefore, welcomes the decision of the DPP to commence investigations on the utterances made by Hon. Linturi and hopes that justice will be served.
"In analysis of evidence surrounding this matter, we call upon the DPP to consider the context within which these words were used by Hon Linturi and to avoid interpretation of this term in isolation of the intervening contextual situation," the party stated.
UDA also called upon relevant authorities to take similar action against other opposition parties in the country.
"For this reason, the Party further calls on law enforcement agencies to exercise similar vigilance and bring to book other well-known political actors who in the recent past have used the term 'madoadoa' and other disparaging terms to' mobilize support for political causes.
"In this regard, the party shall be furnishing the DPP with the particulars of these political actors and the specificities of their statements. Unless the investigation and prosecution of all irresponsible political events is conducted in a fair, dispassionate and non-discriminatory manner, one runs the risk of creating political polarization quite contrary to the inters 10 s of the law," the statement reads.
UDA maintained that it will commit to giving its highest assuring of doing all it takes in ensuring that its rank and file will conduct itself in strict compliance with the stipulations of the law so that Kenyans wherever situated exercise their democratic rights to elect leaders of their choice peacefully and without any form of intimidation or duress.
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