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Deputy President William Ruto has dismissed a move by National Cohesion and Integration Commission to include a number of phrases he uses in his campaign rallies in the list of words that amount to hate speech.
In an indirect reference to President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga, Ruto appeared to suggest that NCIC chair Samuel Kobia was pushed by some people to ban the phrases.
“Instead of these people wasting their time fighting with literature, they should actually get an opportunity to fashion a plan and agenda to sell to the people of Kenya and stop reengineering our literature,” he said.
Speaking on Saturday at a Karen meeting during the welcoming of the National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi to UDA, he said that Kenyans are intelligent and know what they are saying with the terms.
“I think it is an exercise in futility to try and tell us which Swahili and English words we should use. We are decent people, intelligent, knowledgeable and we know what we are saying.”
Ruto added that Kenyans have refused to be intimidated using terms perceived to be dividing or inciting.
“Wale wanafikiria watatupanga kutumia system, tunawaambia watajua hawajui,” he added.
Loosely translated to: “Those who think they can direct us politically using the system will be in for a rude shock”.
On Friday, NCIC chair Kobia released a list of terms that he deemed inciting and amounting to hate speech.
Among them was ‘Hatupangwingwi.
However, a few hours after the NCIC announcement, Ruto released the song ‘Hatupangwingwi’, which has been majorly used in his campaigns.
At the Saturday event, the DP maintained that the phrase will continue being used despite the ban. BY THE STAR