On Friday, April 8, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) listed the word 'Hatupangwingwi' among other Swahili, English and vernacular phrases that had been banned by the commission.
According to the NCIC, the Hatupangwingwi phrase, which has been widely used in Deputy President William Ruto's political rallies had been considered hate speech ahead of the August polls and should no longer be used.
NCIC chairman Samuel Kobia said the word Hatupangwingwi which loosely translates to "we cannot be dictated" allegedly contains elements of hate speech against families that have been at the center of power for a long time.
In particular, Kobia said the phrase is used to target the two families which have been in power for a long period of time and could eventually lead to violent resistance.
However, while on his tour to the United States of America in March this year, Deputy President William Ruto explained to the world the meaning of the phrase hatupangwingwi.
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DP William Ruto explained his economic inclusion agenda and ''hatupangwingwi'' phrase at Loyola University in Maryland, USA, during an engagement with religious leaders.
According to the DP, the use of the phrase by many Kenyans means they want to make their political choices independently without being blackmailed or intimidated by any quarters.
Ruto said Kenyans will not allow themselves to be threatened by the state to vote in a particular way, adding that everyone has the democratic right to choose leaders of their choice.
"The biggest issue that is on the ballot is the democracy of our nation, and whether we truly have the opportunity to make free choices devoid of blackmail, threats, and intimidation. In fact, if you understand a bit of Kiswahili, that is what informs the current push by many Kenyans to say Hatupangwingwi meaning we want to make out choices without being choreographed, blackmailed, or intimidated" explained Ruto.
The DP went ahead to claim that Kenyans are going to make their choices about the country's economy and its democratization, adding that Kenya's economy has been captured, cartelled, brokered, and become exclusionist.
Already, DP Ruto has dropped a song (hatupangwingwi remix) in response to the commission. As one way of staying put and unmoved by the ban, Ruto took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to release an over 3-minute remix of the now popular 'Sipangwingwi' song featuring its original composer, Gengetone artiste Exray.
Ruto captioned the video "Hatupangwingwi" which elicited mixed reactions from Kenyans on social media.
