Lang'ata Member of Parliament (MP) Phelix Odiwuor, alias Jalang'o, has denied claims that he bashed the Kisii community during his speech on Sunday, April 27, in Kitutu Chache North Constituency in Kisii County.
Taking to social media on Monday morning, Jalang'o claimed that he had been misquoted and the words taken out of context, urging Kenyans to watch the entire clip in which he alluded to encountering a witch doctor's meeting in the region.
The lawmaker further clarified that he had great respect for the Kisii community, terming them as his family, friends and his people.
"My heart is heavy seeing my words misquoted. I hold deep love and respect for the Kisii community — they are my family, my friends, and my people. I would never insult them. Please watch the full clip. Let’s stand for truth, not division," Jalang'o stated.
During the fundraising event on Sunday, Jalang'o narrated an anecdote about eavesdropping on a meeting of witch doctors during his visit to Kisii.
Light-heartedly, he relayed how the witch doctors had decried some of their precarious activities being put to a stop by the various development projects brought on by the constituency MP, Japhet Nyakundi.
"I slept at Marani Simba Lodge, and while there, I stumbled onto a meeting of about 12 people and decided to eavesdrop. I then found out that they were witchdoctors," he stated.
"They were saying how Japho (MP Japhet Nyakundi) has affected their work—the ones that run a night— because Japho had decided to bring electricity everywhere. Now their night-running activities have been halted because some of those street lights are motion-detected."
He further lauded his fellow MP for making further plans to extend the electricity network and also improve the road infrastructure, noting that although he was a first-term MP, other leaders could learn from him.
Although the remarks of the comedian-turned-MP were met with laughter from the crowd when he delivered them, clips of the same began making the rounds online, angering Kenyans.
On social media, Kenyans came out in droves to reprimand the MP for what they termed as divisive remarks against the residents of the region.
One dismissed them as a nod to his past life as a comedian, stating, "Anyway, he is a comedian," while others made more serious comments like, "Total insult to the community; this is uncalled for," and another one, "You were invited to insult our community?"
