President William Ruto has issued a stern warning to a section of leaders he accused of spreading hate speech and inciting Kenyans along tribal lines.
Reacting to the horrific murder of his ardent supporter and gospel musician Rachel Wandeto, who was allegedly doused with petrol, Ruto said those behind the attack would not escape justice.
Without mentioning names, the President condemned what he described as political intolerance allegedly being perpetrated by the leaders bent on dividing Kenyans through negative ethnicity and politics of blackmail.
Ruto, who spoke strongly about the incident a day after returning from Kazakhstan, joined growing public outrage and calls for justice for the mother of two.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has since taken over the matter, with preliminary investigations from the police suggesting the attack may have been linked to the woman’s political views.
“You will not divide our nation using ethnicity. I want to tell you, one day, you will answer for the tribalism and hate you are perpetrating in Kenya. The life of Rachel Wandeto will not go unanswered,” said William Ruto, who is on a five-day tour of the Coast region.
He claimed that some leaders had gone to the extent of profiling and labelling Kenyans as traitors and rebels because of their divergent political views.
“You call others traitors and rebels until Mama Rachel Wandeto is killed because of your hatred, your ethnicity, and the profiling of other Kenyans simply because they do not believe in your tribal bigotry,” he said.
Ruto urged Kenyans to reject divisive politics and unite for the sake of the country’s progress.
“We are going to stand together as a nation, and one day, you will answer for what you are doing. Our nation will not go backwards; it will move forward in unity because we are one nation, one people with a common destiny,” he said.
