"I Will Not Go To NCIC Offices!" - Aden Duale After Hateful, Tribal Remarks

“I Will Not Go To NCIC Offices!” – Aden Duale After Hateful, Tribal Remarks

A simmering political feud between Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has turned into an open war of words.

Duale has stated that he will only comply with future summonses from the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) if the body likewise orders Gachagua to appear before it.

Duale made statements in his native Somali tongue during the Lafey event, which sparked the dispute.

Some attacked the words, interpreting them as divisive and directed against the Kikuyu community.

In this video, CS Duale says that Kikuyus have said that nobody else will live well in Kenya except them.( Kikuyus) He goes on yo add “they have become the hyena who has been hunting but become hard to stop it. They have become hyenas.They have said Kenya is ours and nobody else… pic.twitter.com/1eiMXpqgjJ— ABDI NOOR (@AbdinurPeace) July 22, 2026

Duale, on the other hand, denied the charges, claiming that his comments were taken out of context and intentionally twisted.

“I have been widely misquoted, and my remarks delivered in Lafey Constituency have been taken out of context to advance false and misleading narratives,” he said.

I have been widely misquoted and my remarks delivered in Lafey Constituency have been taken out of context to advance false and misleading narratives.

The phrase I used, “Waraabe la-tagis bartay, ka-ridis waa ku dhib,” is a well-known Somali proverb that has long been part of…— Hon. Aden Duale, EGH (@HonAdenDuale) July 24, 2026

The Cabinet Secretary explained that the phrase at the centre of the controversy—”Waraabe la-tagis bartay, ka-ridis waa ku dhib”—is a well-known Somali proverb that has long been part of the community’s oral tradition.

“It is a figurative expression about the difficulty of ending entrenched habits or long-enjoyed advantages. It was never directed at any community or intended to demean anyone,” Duale said.

According to the CS, his speech focused on inclusivity and the government’s commitment to ensuring that all Kenyans.

“My message was about the importance of embracing inclusivity as the government continues to ensure that all Kenyans, regardless of their region or ethnicity, have an opportunity to serve the nation,” he said.

Duale accused critics of distorting his remarks for political purposes and criticised what he termed selective condemnation of leaders’ statements.

“Attempts to portray my remarks as ethnic incitement are therefore dishonest and a deliberate distortion of what I said,” he said.

Following public outcry and complaints lodged with the NCIC, Gachagua intensified his criticism while addressing supporters in Embu, accusing Duale of acting as a political messenger of government.

“Duale does not speak on his own. Such harsh political rhetoric is choreographed,” Gachagua claimed.

He further alleged that Duale’s remarks reflected a broader political strategy by the Kenya Kwanza administration.

The NCIC subsequently announced that it had opened investigations into the remarks.

In a statement issued on Friday, the commission said its Investigations Department had launched an inquiry into the allegations.

“The National Cohesion and Integration Commission acknowledges receipt of a complaint regarding alleged utterances by Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale,” the commission said.

“Our Investigations Department is conducting a thorough and impartial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the said utterances.”

However, speaking during a wedding ceremony at a hotel in Garissa on Sunday, Duale struck a defiant tone.

He accused the former Deputy President of promoting ethnic division while questioning the commission’s consistency in enforcing the law.

“I want to tell the NCIC that the day you are going to summon Rigathi Gachagua is the day you are going to summon Aden Duale,” Duale said.

He maintained that he would not appear before the commission ahead of Gachagua.

“When the NCIC summons me, I must also be accompanied by Rigathi Gachagua,” he said.

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“When I am accompanied by my lawyers, Gachagua should also have his. But one thing I will not do is go to the NCIC offices before Gachagua does.”

Duale accused Gachagua of consistently making statements that he claimed had deepened ethnic divisions in the country.

“If there is one person who has consistently spread hate speech in this country, it is Rigathi Gachagua,” Duale said.

“You do personal attacks on the personality and the character of the President.”

He said previous administrations had subjected residents of northern Kenya to decades of discrimination in accessing critical government services.

“For more than 60 years, it was extremely difficult for our people to obtain identity cards, birth certificates and passports. That is no longer the case.”

The Cabinet Secretary has consistently denied accusations that his Lafey speech amounted to ethnic incitement.

“I Will Not Go To NCIC Offices!” – Aden Duale After Hateful, Tribal Remarks

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