Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina has been summoned to appear in court over remarks he made on Citizen TV's JKLive show aired on February 19, 2020.
Milimani Law courts Senior Principal Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot ordered the senator to appear in court on June 2, 2020.
The court papers as seen by Kenyans.co.ke argued that Ledama's sentiments were intended to incite feelings of discrimination against non-Maasai communities living in Narok County based on their ethnicity.
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The vocal senator was arrested on February 25, 2020, while he was on his way out of Royal Media Services after an interview, after which he was taken to the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to record a statement.
Ledama had then argued that it was within his mandate as the Senator of the Narok County to articulate the issues affecting the area residents without fear.
Despite condemnation from various quarters, including from journalists, politicians, and Kenyans in general, Ole Kina has continuously insisted that there were ills in his society that he was fit to address.
"I am involved in a quest for integrity, truth and decency guided by a deep traditional and modern spiritual fortitude for the Maa nation. Those being displaced from their lands/territories by avarice have a voice.
"This is their voice. Let’s all be equal. We are children of one God," he posted on his social media platforms on February 25, prior to his arrest.
On February 19, Ledama had weighed in on the sensitive issue of Maasai land, during the Narok BBI rally which left many angered.
"I think one of the biggest priorities for the Maasai is land-use policies. We are people who have been marginalised for a very long time. We are very hospitable and welcoming, so people come into our area, take our land and subdivide it.
"This is our land. Any visitor is welcome to do business. But if today I go to Kiambu, I will be welcome to do business, but I cannot run for office there. If one buys agricultural land, it remains agricultural land. He cannot subdivide and bring his tribesmen or his friends there because of the scarcity of resources," Ledama had stated.
Koinange, during the interview, had stepped in and dismissed Ole Kina's sentiments as tribalistic, and warned that the path being taken by the senator was to the detriment of Kenyans.
"If you allow these kinds of conversations, you don't have to imagine where you will take us as a country. Countries like Rwanda and Somalia got to where they are due to these kinds of politics. If you hear him tell you that he cannot go to Kiambu and run for office there, he is justifying wrong," Koinange stated.
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