Deputy President William Ruto led United Democratic Alliance (UDA) leaders in apologising for Meru Senator Mithika Linturi's remarks during the party's rally in Eldoret on Saturday, January 8, 2022.
Addressing a rally in Bomet on Monday, January 10, the second in command apologised for the senator's 'madoadoa' remarks, though the leaders maintained that he was misinterpreted.
The deputy president further stated that UDA is a democratic party and urged that anyone in the country who incites violence should face the full force of the law.
"We want every inciter in Kenya, whether they belong to UDA or the other side. We want the law to apply equally so that we can secure our nation," DP Ruto stated.
File image of Senator Mithika Linturi. |Photo| Courtesy|
"We are a democratic party. We are a party that believes in the freedom of everybody to choose what side they want to be, who they want to vote for, what party they want to be in. We want to compete on a platform of issues not ethnicities, on a platform of agendas, not profiling people from other sections of the country," he added.
Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen stated that the debate in the country is centred around what Senator Linturi said in Eldoret.
"We first apologise on behalf of honourable Linturi said in Eldoret. We give our 100 percent commitment as the people of Hustler Nation that we will maintain peace, we will respect everybody. We know politics is about competition and not communities, and for that, we will stand firm as leaders," Murkomen stated.
This comes after Linturi's lawyer Elias Mutuma allegedly withdrew an apology the senator issued after he made the sentiments.
Mutuma argued that the senator's words were taken out of context and that he had intended to unite the people of Uasin Gishu, by urging them to vote as a block.
"The use of the word madoadoa has not been criminalised in this country. It has not been outlawed. It does not appear in any of our penal codes or any other written law. It is, therefore, wrong for anyone to use that as a criminal offence.
"What he was urging the people of Eldoret was to unite them and to ask them to vote as a block just as we have seen the other parts of this country," he explained.
Linturi had stated that he meant that the people of Uasin Gishu vote for politicians only allied to UDA.
"Anyone that really understands that it was a UDA rally and what I meant was that those people that are not followers of UDA should be rejected by the Uasin Gishu voters," he noted.
