Korogocho member of county assembly was arrested earlier today by detectives from the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).
The Nairobi Member of County Assembly (MCA) had been summoned by the NCIC over remarks made during an Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya coalition rally at the Kamukunji Grounds on Monday, January 23, 2023.
In a statement on Monday, NCIC confirmed that the MCA honoured the summons and was thereafter handed over to detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for further action.
“Today the Korogocho MCA Hon. Absalom Odhiambo Onyango honoured summons by @NCIC_Kenya whereupon he was arrested and handed over to @DCI_Kenya Nairobi area for further action,” NCIC said in a tweet on Monday.
Onyango was captured in a viral video inciting Azimio supporters to stage protests in the capital in a bid to force out President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration over alleged electoral fraud.
NCIC claims that Onyango invoked ethnic hatred while inciting Kenyans to violence at the highly charged rally attended by opposition leader Raila Odinga.
NCIC Chairperson Samuel Kobia said the utterances made by the legislator invoked ethnic hatred while inciting Kenyans to violence.
Kobia urged leaders to shun ethnic politics which may upset the current state of peace in the country and cause division among political groups.
“As a Commission, we applaud all Kenyans and political actors for following due processes to ensure that the country remained peaceful despite the electoral outcome,” he said.
“We call upon all leaders to stop actions and rhetoric that can trigger violence. For if unchecked violence started in one place will be repeated in another and the whole country will burn before long. In such an event, nobody wins and all of us lose.”
He further called on members of the public to accord the Head of State “respect and honour,” reiterating his role as a symbol of national unity.
“We wish to remind Kenyans that the President who is also Head of State is the symbol of national unity. Consequently, any actions that undermine the presidency will not only damage the national cohesion but will also injure peace and unity among Kenyans,” Kobia added.
