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CS Kindiki warns against national leaders engaging in ethnic politics

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki during the handover of Kenya Prisons Service Wanini Kireri Magereza Level 4 Hospital in Ruiru, Kiambu on May 17, 2024. (Photo: MINA)

By Maureen Kinyanjui | Monday, June 10, 2024

The CS said those who are openly advocating for ethnic interests are betraying public trust and violating the Constitution.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has criticised national officeholders who are openly advocating for ethnic interests, stating that they betray public trust and violate the Constitution.

The CS emphasised the importance of national leaders prioritising the overarching national agenda, while delegating community and sub-national concerns to lower-level leaders, thus fostering unity in the nation's vision.

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"Open and direct involvement in pursuing ethnic or other sectarian interests while holding a national office whose services are for the defence of the national interest is unconstitutional and a violation of public trust," he said in a statement on Sunday.

"If God and the people of Kenya privilege you to be the one to defend the common national interest, you must allow other lower-level leaders to be the ones spearheading family, community, and sub-national agenda. That way, the vision of one nation, one flag, one people will be accelerated."

The Interior boss highlighted that the current public debate concerning the promotion of national unity, inclusivity, and collective prosperity enhances the country's democratic reputation and its pursuit of a liberated, secure, and stable Kenya.

Constitutional responsibility

Kindiki said that President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua bear a constitutional responsibility to spearhead efforts toward establishing a unified national identity and fostering a shared sense of belonging.

The CS added that the two also have the mandate to spearhead the harmonisation of sub-national interests and the generation and projection of the collective good for Kenya as a whole.

His remarks come amid calls by a section of leaders to have the one-man, one-vote, one-shilling revenue-sharing formula used in the division of revenue.

These leaders claim that some regions are highly populated and therefore need more resources.

Last week, the CS told off the leaders calling for the formula to be used.

Kindiki said leaders pushing for the adoption of the formula do not understand its implications for the future of the country.

He stated that the framers of the Constitution of Kenya rejected it for its potential to fuel sectional interests to the detriment of the nation as an indivisible whole.