NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 27- Senator Cleophas Malala is in hot soup, after threatening to disrupt a planned meeting at the Bhukungu stadium, to endorse former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for President.
Malala had given the organizers led by COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli an ultimatum of seeking ‘a permit’ from Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi.
“Kakamega is my bedroom. If they will not take a permit from Musalia Mudavadi, let them not bother to come to Kakamega,” he said during an event attended by the ANC boss.
“I want to officially say there will be a meeting at Bhukungu Stadium on December 31. We do not want brokers to come and divide the Luhya (community). Kakamega is a no-go-zone. And we are serious about that.”
Following the remarks, the National Cohesion Integration Commission (NCIC) has summoned the Senator.
He is set to be grilled over the utterances.
The December 31 meeting is set to bring together a host of leaders from the community.
“We have today summoned Senator Cleophas Malala to answer for his regrettable and unwarranted statements that allegedly meant to lock out a political candidate from holding a meeting at Bukhungu stadium in Kakamega slated for December 31, 2021,” NCIC chairperson Samuel Kobia said in a statement on Monday.
“As NCIC, we want to remind every politician that such statements will mean that we work in consultation with other agencies to ensure hate mongers are not cleared to run for office in 2022. We will not standby and allow hate mongers to be candidates in the next election.”
Odinga is set to be endorsed as the most preferred presidential candidate for the Luhya community.
But Malala dismissed the organizers as brokers while rooting to Mudavadi- who is equally seeking to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“You are a junior Senator who has neither the capacity to speak on behalf of the Luhya community nor the ability to call on and off such a meeting. The Bukhungu II meeting brings together all progressive leaders and locals from the 5 counties in the region,” Atwoli said in a rejoinder.
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