Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko has summoned 18 politicians, 9 from CORD and 9 from Jubilee, to record statements with the police over hate speech charges.
CORD senators Elizabeth Ongoro and James Orengo, as well as MPs Junnet Mohamed and Jakoyo Midiwo, have already recorded their statements at Kilimani Police Station.
Context and Response ¶
The decision to summon an equal number of leaders from both sides may be seen as an attempt to address concerns that only opposition politicians are being targeted by the government.
According to an editorial by Standard Newspaper, this move reinforces the feeling of a divided nation in need of healing. The editorial states that there is no doubt that there is so much to worry about the state of the nation today and that the politics of attrition and grandstanding will not offer the solutions needed.
The editorial also criticizes Jubilee hard-liners for not seeing the need for dialogue, citing the behavior of Leader of Majority Aden Duale as an example. It suggests that President Uhuru Kenyatta should encourage his party members to engage in dialogue as a way out of the current political situation.
