Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot has issued a statement after his grilling by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) following his remarks dubbed as divisive.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday, January 12, the lawmaker explained that his statement was taken out of context.
Cheruiyot was on the radar after making the remarks during Deputy President William Ruto’s rally in Eldoret in which he is heard asking Kesses MP Mishra Swarup to go back home.
In his statement, Cheruiyot claimed that he made the statement in a political context meaning that he was asking the constituency's voters to vote the MP out in the forthcoming polls.
"I have taken time to explain why I used that name. which even Hon. Mishra uses when he speaks outside his constituency.
"Secondly, I have given further details to what I meant when I said that he should go back home. When you speak in a political Kenyan space and say that a leader should go home, it simply means that they shouldn't be voted back in office," he stated.
He further explained that the talk was used in political circles for years and that Ruto and his opponent Raila Odinga have been victims before and it was not deemed offensive.
"I am sure in many occasions you've heard those who don't agree with William Ruto say he will go back to Sugoi while those who don't agree with Raila say he will go back to Bondo," he added.
The grilling came a day after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji ordered investigations into his utterances.
“The alleged remarks captured in the video clip make reference to the racial identity of an elected leader which utterances could incite feelings of contempt, hatred, hostility, violence or discrimination,” read a statement from the DPP.
Other politicians have been under the radar over their remarks including Kitutu Chache MP Richard Onyonka and Meru Senator Mithika Linturi.
Authorities are cracking the whip on errant politicians even as the campaigns kick off.
