Leaders urge Uhuru to sack Kinoti ‘for poll chaos probe’

DCI George Kinoti

Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Director George Kinoti.

Photo credit: Salaton Njau | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Mr Sang said unless Mr Kinoti apologises to Kenyans, he should not continue serving as the DCI.
  • Governor Mandago sensationally claimed that there is an attempt to use public servants to disrupt the peace, but vowed to not allow the plot to succeed.

 Pressure is piling on President Kenyatta to sack Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti for “trying to revive” 2007/08 post-election violence (PEV) cases.

Some Rift Valley leaders, led by Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago, and his Nandi counterpart Stephen Sang, asked the Head of State to fire Mr Kinoti if he was, indeed, not aware of what the DCI was doing when he invited victims of the violence.

Even though Mr Kinoti has clarified that he will not reopen post-election violence (PEV) cases that were investigated and concluded, the leaders accused him of trying to reopen old wounds.

Mr Sang said unless Mr Kinoti apologises to Kenyans, he should not continue serving as the DCI.

“We can’t allow people to incite others. The President should fire Kinoti immediately because he’s hell-bent on causing chaos in this country,” said Governor Sang at Chepkemel in Turbo, Uasin Gishu County.

Governor Mandago sensationally claimed that there is an attempt to use public servants to disrupt the peace, but vowed to not allow the plot to succeed.

“We’re not going back [to the violent days]. We want to be people who preach and maintain peace,” he said. Mr Mandago said the elders assured that there has been no problem among communities in the county.

Meanwhile, the Myoot, the Kalenjin Council of Elders, has lauded the Head of State for asking the DCI not to revive the cases. Myoot Uasin Gishu coordinator John Yego said Mr Kinoti’s utterances had caused tension among the communities living in Rift Valley.

“We want to thank the President for his firm stance on what Mr Kinoti wanted to start. The developments had worried most of us because we had moved on and were living peacefully,” Mr Yego said yesterday. The elders had warned against reopening the cases fearing that it would rekindle old grudges.

“Before the President’s statement on Wednesday, we had planned to meet with security agents to discuss the matter,” he said. The elders urged residents to remain peaceful and united.

The Uasin Gishu interfaith council chairman, Bishop Geoffrey Songok, stressed the need to maintain peace.

 “We’ve always told our people to be united. We don’t want to be reminded of 2007. We want peace, unity and harmony,” he said.

Internally displaced persons national chairman Peter Kariuki Githinji said he has criss-crossed the country and there is nowhere that people are being threatened as claimed by the DCI.

Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and his Keiyo South MP Daniel Rono had accused Mr Kinoti of scheming to revive the cases in a bid to scuttle Deputy President William Ruto’s State House bid in 2022.