President William Ruto has issued a stern warning to politicians fuelling ethnic divisions in the country, linking the death of gospel artist Rachel Wandeto to growing intolerance and hate-driven politics.
Speaking Thursday at Mama Ngina Drive in Mombasa at the start of his coastal region development tour, Ruto said those promoting tribal profiling and branding Kenyans with differing political views as traitors would be held responsible.
“The life of Rachel Wandeto will not go unanswered. You who call others traitors, mnaita wengine wasaliti mpaka mama Rachel Wandeto ameuawa kwa sababu ya chuki yenu,” the President declared.
Wandeto, a gospel musician from Mwiki in Kasarani, gained national attention earlier this year after tattooing Ruto’s face, the phrase “Two Terms,” and the President’s name on parts of her body in a dramatic display of political support.
The move reportedly caused tension within her family, with reports indicating she was later evicted from her home due to political disagreements.
Her gruesome death has sparked widespread outrage online and renewed debate over political intolerance and hostility in the country.
In what appeared to be an indirect attack on his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua, Ruto accused unnamed political leaders of weaponising ethnicity and fear to intimidate Kenyans who hold different political views.
“I want to say, without fear of any contradiction, while I am here at the Coast, for those of you who are visionless, the people who have no vision for our nation, the people who have no plan for our nation, you will not divide our nation using ethnicity and hate. Kenya hii hatuwezi kubali, hatutaruhusu mtuuzie ukabila, uoga na blackmail,” the President said.
“We will not allow anybody to blackmail our nation using ethnicity. You will not profile citizens as traitors because they do not believe in your tribal bigotry. One day you will answer for the tribalism and hate you are spreading in Kenya.”
The President’s remarks come amid a charged political environment in the country, with concerns growing over the increasing use of tribal rhetoric to whip emotions.
