NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 27 – Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has demanded that Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale withdraw remarks he made about the Kikuyu community and issue an unequivocal public apology, saying his comments were divisive and his refusal to retract them was unacceptable.

📻 Breaking It Down

In a statement on Sunday, Wahome criticized Duale for remaining defiant despite mounting calls for him to apologize.

“Hon. Aden Duale, your recent remarks against the Kikuyu community have brought out the worst in you. You have been called to apologise but you said no because, according to you, other people have made worse mistakes,” she said.

Rejecting Duale’s argument that other politicians had made more inflammatory remarks without attracting similar criticism, Wahome said such reasoning could not justify his conduct.

📌 What You Need to Know

“Two wrongs don’t make a right… You should withdraw your remarks and apologise profusely,” she added.

Her remarks came a day after Duale declared he would not apologize over the controversy, insisting he would not retreat from his position despite growing public criticism.

Speaking during a resource mobilization event at Karare Primary School in Saku Constituency, Marsabit County, on Saturday, the Health CS dismissed the backlash and urged supporters to ignore criticism circulating on social media.

“Do not worry about the issues you are seeing on social media. I am not going to apologise. Do you expect me to back down from my stance?” Duale said.

In what appeared to be a veiled reference to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s past “shareholding” remarks, Duale argued that other political statements had been more divisive than his own.

“There is no worse form of hate speech than someone standing up and declaring that another person has no share in this government and therefore will not get a job opportunity,” he said.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya