NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 18 – Homa Bay Town MP George Kaluma has dismissed claims that his remarks fuelled violence during the Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay, saying residents were “self-provoked” and that the situation could have been far worse had they responded to what he described as deliberate provocation.

📻 Breaking It Down

Kaluma said his remarks, which have since drawn the attention of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), had been taken out of context and misinterpreted.

He said he had received a letter from the commission and instructed his lawyers to respond, arguing that some of his remarks had been incorrectly transcribed or translated.

“If you are asking for investigations, that is the proper thing to do,” Kaluma said, adding that the circumstances surrounding the violence should be examined in full.

📌 What You Need to Know

The legislator said the events preceding the August 16 rally were characterised by what he described as persistent provocation, arguing that residents had a right to react to what they perceived as threats to their community.

He maintained that he did not mobilise people to attack the Linda Mwananchi team, saying his public meetings in the run-up to the rally were attended by ordinary constituents.

Kaluma said photographs from one of his meetings would demonstrate that the people surrounding him were largely women and other residents who had come to listen to him.

“Would I be foolish enough to say that we were going to eliminate anybody in such a public place? That is completely illogical,” he said.

The legislator was responding to criticism over remarks he made ahead of the rally, which he said had been presented without the context in which they were delivered.

He argued that his warnings about people staying in hotels were based on security concerns and the legal requirement for hotels to maintain records of their guests.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya