By Andrew Kariuki
A petition has been filed at the High Court seeking the suspension and removal of Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga from office over allegations of making ethnic and inflammatory remarks that threaten Kenya’s national unity and cohesion.
The case, filed under a certificate of urgency by Bunge la Mwananchi alongside activists Lawrence Oyugi, Komrade Bush and Nicholas Kimanzi, accuses Governor Kahiga of uttering divisive statements during a public function in Nyeri County on October 17, 2025.
The petitioners want the court to suspend him pending the hearing and determination of the case, arguing that his continued stay in office gives him a platform to repeat and amplify the remarks in question.
According to court filings, the governor allegedly made coded and derogatory remarks in Kikuyu, later translated into English, implying that the death of former Prime Minister Hon. Raila Odinga C.G.H , popularly known as “Baba,” was an act of divine intervention favoring Kahiga’s political side.
The petition quotes the governor as saying, “All goodies were being directed there… but who is God, does he take Ugali at somebody’s house or sleep in Kayole?”
The petitioners claim the statement was ethnically charged and targeted the Luo community, suggesting that it mocked and devalued a section of Kenyans based on ethnicity and political affiliation.
The petitioners argue that Kahiga’s remarks go beyond political banter and amount to hate speech and gross misconduct in violation of the Constitution.
In an affidavit filed by Bunge la Mwananchi president Lawrence Oyugi, the petitioners warn that such utterances risk reigniting ethnic hostility reminiscent of the 1990s clashes and the 2007–2008 post-election violence.
They argue that mentioning Nakuru County — an area previously affected by ethnic tensions — in such a context could inflame old divisions and destabilize inter community relations.
The petition notes that “there exists a clear, present and imminent danger of escalation into inter-communal violence, especially in ethnically mixed urban areas.”
The petitioners also accuse oversight institutions, including the Attorney General and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), of failing to act decisively, saying the inaction has emboldened leaders to make divisive statements without accountability.
They are seeking orders to suspend Governor Kahiga immediately, restrain him from making further inflammatory remarks and compel the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to investigate him for gross misconduct and abuse of office.
They also want the court to declare him unfit to hold public office under the Constitution and direct the NCIC and Attorney General to take disciplinary and legal action.
