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Nairobi Jubilee governor candidate Polycarp Igathe was forced to apologize for his remarks that seemed to have irked a section of Nairobi residents.
Igathe, who was accused of profiling communities, clarified that his comments should not be understood to be about individuals, but about the equitability of access to services and opportunities for work and economic benefits in Nairobi city.
His statement came following a viral video of him accusing Members of County Assembly from the Kikuyu community of being held hostage by three Somali MCAs he didn’t name, whom he said are controlling the city county assembly.
“Nairobi has 45 MCAs, who are kikuyu, I can tell you they are all controlled by three Somalis. That is a fact. The capture is too serious. even yesterday they were doing things that are completely illegal and illicit,” Igathe was heard saying in the video, as he addressed the Kenya Private Sector Alliance.
But he has since issued an apology, saying he was misunderstood as he was only addressing the issue of equitability for all Nairobians to enjoy services and economic opportunities.
“I would like to say that if the broader Somali community or anyone was hurt or inadvertently offended by comments made in the context of engagements on the campaign trail, I am sorry for any such offence or hurt,” he said.
He added that he plans to create opportunities for all when elected in the August 9 polls.
“Our response in our manifesto in this regard will be about creating opportunities for everyone and ensuring that no one group of people whomsoever they may be, enjoys more than their fair share of services or economic opportunities than others,” read part of the statement.
“Our response will be to make Nairobi more democratic, transparent, and sustainable for everyone. It is this cry and aspiration of the people of Nairobi, that we are responding to and are offering ourselves on 9th August 2022, to Champion.”
Igathe assured the entire Somali community in Nairobi and beyond that, he will value their support and partnership in working to make Nairobi a better place to live and work in.
Igathe’s response came after Garissa Township MP Aden Duale on Saturday called him out for profiling communities for cheap political expediency.
Duale said Igathe has displayed himself as a tribal leader and he is not fit to lead the people of Nairobi which is home to 44 ethnic communities of Kenya.
“The tribal bigotry shamelessly peddled in the sophisticated business arena is unfortunate and crass. It is more appalling coming from someone purporting to be learned and captain of industry,” he said.
“Profiling communities for cheap political expediency is the height of desperation. Nairobians are discerning and will totally reject such a poor project.” BY THE STAR