By Philip Mulee
United Opposition Principals Kalonzo Musyoka, Rigathi Gachagua, Eugena Wamalwa and Justin Muturi on Wednesday January 7, met in Kipipili, Nyandarua County and defended the absence of former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.
Peoples’ Liberal Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua, a member of the group was also on no show during the burial of area MP Wanjiku Muhia’s father.
However Kalonzo, the Wiper Patriotic Front Party leader said the opposition was united and geared to liberate the country.
Thwe former Vice President said Kenya must confront corruption and the misuse of public or stolen funds head-on, but warned against dragging innocent citizens into accusations simply because of their ethnicity or business background.
Kalonzo at the same time defended Gachagua over his controversial remarks touching on the Somali community, saying the focus should remain on fighting economic crime without turning the issue into ethnic profiling.
He said Gachagua’s comments had been misunderstood and should not be used to stigmatize an entire community, even as investigations into alleged financial crimes continue.
“We want criminals exposed, but Somalis and every other Kenyan who is not a criminal should not be attacked or feared,” Kalonzo said.
“We are together as Kenyans, and we are working for real unity in this country, not unity built on blame and suspicion.”
His remarks come as lawyers acting for the owners of the Business Bay Square (BBS Mall) in Eastleigh filed a complaint with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), accusing Gachagua of linking the Somali community and specific businesses to a fraud scandal in Minnesota, United States.
Without directly dismissing the need for investigations, Kalonzo said crime must be handled through the law and evidence, not public accusations that risk inflaming ethnic tensions.
“Every country follows its national interest, and if money was stolen anywhere in the world, investigations must follow the law,” he said. “But that does not mean you condemn a whole community. You follow the truth, not tribes.”
Kalonzo said Kenya’s diversity must never be weaponised for political gain, warning that careless statements by leaders can damage businesses, livelihoods and national cohesion.
“When leaders speak, their words carry weight,” he said. “That is why we must be responsible. You cannot destroy the reputation of hardworking Kenyans who have built this country just to score political points.”
In a formal complaint dated January 6, 2026, lawyers from MMA Advocates wrote to NCIC Chairperson Dr Samuel Kobia, urging the commission to act swiftly over inflammatory comments Gachagua made on January 4 during a church service at AIPCA Kiratina Church in Githunguri, Kiambu County.
According to the letter, Gachagua suggested that funds stolen in a fraud scheme in Minnesota, United States, were allegedly funneled into Kenya, invested in properties in Eastleigh, and used to construct a shopping mall.
He also publicly called on former U.S. President Donald Trump to circumvent extradition procedures and “forcibly arrest” suspects in Kenya, remarks the mall’s owners say were defamatory and dangerous.
Although Gachagua did not explicitly name BBS Mall, the complaint argues that “any ordinary listener” would reasonably understand the statements as referring to the Eastleigh mall, one of the largest commercial centres in the area, and by extension to Somali-owned businesses and the Somali community, given its prominence and location.
The mall owners told NCIC that Gachagua’s comments represent a “thinly veiled attribution of criminality” not only to their business but to a whole community, contrary to the Constitution’s protections against hate speech and ethnic discrimination. The petition cites:
Articles 27, 28 and 33 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality, dignity and prohibit hate speech and Section 13 of the National Cohesion and Integration Act, which criminalises speech intended to stir ethnic hatred
“Our clients do not object to public discussion of crime or matters of public concern,” the lawyers wrote. “Their complaint is confined to the manner, framing, and foreseeable effect of the remarks, which invite conclusions of collective ethnic and commercial culpability.”
They also warned that such remarks have already damaged the mall’s reputation, jeopardising relationships with tenants, insurers, banks and regulators, and could embolden media outlets to amplify divisive rhetoric.
The letter urged NCIC to caution media houses against uncritical repetition of such statements, arguing that doing so would worsen ethnic tensions and harm Kenya’s cohesion.
Several political figures have weighed in on the controversy.
Wajir East MP Aden Daud condemned Gachagua’s remarks as “ethnic profiling” and dangerous rhetoric that threatens peaceful coexistence between Kenya’s diverse communities.
The NCIC has yet to publicly respond to the complaint related to the Gachagua’s remarks and the subsequent complaint.
