Ledama Ole Kina has come out strongly to shun those who are calling him a tribal warlord, opting to label himself as an extremist human rights defender.
The senator defended himself during a morning talk show on Spice FM on Monday morning, February 24.
Speaking to Charles Muga, Eric Latiff and Ndu Odoh, Ledama did not mince his words as he passionately defended his controversial statement.
“I am an extremist for freedom and liberty and radical for the gentles” he declared.
It all started last week when the youthful senator said that the Maa people had been sidelined and their plight needed to be addressed. He went ahead to call on the BBI steering committee to solve the land issues in the Maasai-dominated areas such as Narok so that the local people could maintain a steady income.
“On matters of food security, what will our people eat if you take our land? They must remain as agricultural land, use the legitimate process if you want to subdivide them,
“So long as I live, I will pursue justice for these people who I represent,” he reiterated.
The vocal senator was backed by his Kakamega counterpart Cleophas Malala, and Suna East Member of Parliament Junet Mohammed during their addresses at the heated Narok rally.
Malala maintained that the Maasai people needed to have a chance to produce more leaders in their area for more inclusivity.
"Why can't the Maasai people be given the opportunity to produce their leaders? It is not fair to fight for their few seats,” the Kakamega senator stated.
Senator Ledama, on his part, insisted that all he was doing was championing for a re-examination of the land policy
He made it clear that he had not barred non-locals from settling in Maasai regions.
" I am not against any particular community," he announced.
He maintained that he was against wealthy businessmen who were buying land meant for agriculture, subdividing it and selling the same to make huge profits. This, in turn, was affecting agricultural productivity of his county thus leaving the majority of the inhabitants poor.
As he awaits further action from the DCI, he added that all he did was to provide deep insights of sentiments at the core of tribalism in Kenya, adding that true national cohesion should be based on the deeply ingrained culture of inclusivity and integration programs.
