The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Noordin Haji, has instructed Inspector General of Police, Hillary Mutyambai, to open probe into an alleged manipulated clip of Deputy President William Ruto that was circulated by Mombasa governor, Hassan Ali Joho, and Suna East Member of Parliament, Junet Mohamed.
Haji noted that the two agencies will investigate whether the video was doctored to incite the people after which he will prescribe necessary action.
"We will await for the file. We have to establish whether indeed that was what was uttered or whether it was altered, and we have given appropriate directions," Haji remarked.
"We have also taken appropriate action and directed the appropriate authorities, especially the National Police Service, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and the National Cohesion and Integrated Commission (NCIC) to do what ought to be done."
The DPP further disclosed that the investigative agencies will also open a probe into another audio clip alleging a plot to rig the August 9 polls.
Haji's sentiments come a day after United Democratic Alliance (UDA) wrote to NCIC asking it to take action against Joho and Junet.
According to UDA, the video was doctored to purport that Ruto was inciting people in his Uasin Gishu backyard when he spoke in his native language.
"This video is a choreographed version intended to cause, elicit and spread hate, incitement to violence, ethnic discrimination and disharmony," UDA Secretary General, Veronica Maina, stated in her letter to NCIC.
"The video has also been intentionally edited with a deliberate aim and objective to cause ethnic hatred, fear and intolerance during this peak political season."
UDA wanted the NCIC to compel the two to pull down the videos and suspend their accounts.
"We implore your office to act immediately and take action with a view to take down the unlawful videos, as well as the suspend the respective accounts propagating hate speech," the UDA letter read in part.
Joho posted the edited video on his verified account on Tuesday, slamming DP Ruto for allegedly calling on Uasin Gishu natives to drive out non-indigenous Kenyans from the county should they decide not to back his presidential bid on August 9.
The post sparked public outrage and was later flagged by PesaCheck, Africa’s largest indigenous fact-checking organisation, explaining that some words were removed.
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