Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has formally petitioned the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to investigate and prosecute former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of making public statements that amount to ethnic profiling and hate speech against the Kalenjin community.
In a letter dated 27 July 2026, Cherargei urged the Commission to examine remarks delivered by Gachagua at political rallies, in media interviews and during press briefings. The senator contends that these statements have linked the Kalenjin community to criminality, insecurity and organised violence.
“The statements have given rise to allegations of ethnic profiling and the association of members of the Kalenjin community with criminality, insecurity and organized violence,” Cherargei wrote.
I have Petition the National cohesion integration commission (NCIC) to investigate and prosecute the impeached Deputy President Gachagwa over hate speech by referring Nandi community as “militia”.#mtetezi
Blessed evening pic.twitter.com/Y6u1bvH7aa
— Senator Kiprotich Arap Cherargei (@scherargei) July 27, 2026
He grounded his request in Article 27 of the Constitution, which prohibits discrimination on ethnic grounds, and Article 33, which excludes hate speech and ethnic incitement from the protection of free expression. Cherargei also cited the National Cohesion and Integration Act, which criminalises utterances likely to stir up ethnic hatred.
At the heart of the complaint is a statement Gachagua made following the alleged abduction of MP George Koimburi. Cherargei attached both a video recording and a transcript of the remarks.
According to the senator, Gachagua claimed that President William Ruto, the Interior Cabinet Secretary and the Deputy Inspector-General of Police—all of whom he identified as Kalenjin—had established a special squad to target government critics. Gachagua further alleged that the unit comprised 20 officers drawn from the Nandi community and operated under the direct orders of the Deputy Inspector-General.
Cherargei argued that, regardless of the accuracy of the claims, framing them in a manner that tied an entire community to such conduct was sufficient to inflame ethnic suspicion and reinforce harmful stereotypes. He maintained that the remarks formed part of a broader pattern in which Gachagua has revisited the painful memories of the 2007/2008 post-election violence and repeatedly cast the Kalenjin community in a negative light.
The senator has asked the NCIC to obtain the original recordings, carefully assess their context and determine whether Gachagua crossed any legal threshold, before proceeding to “investigate and prosecute” the former Deputy President.
Cherargei framed the petition against the backdrop of the approaching General Election, cautioning that Kenya’s history has repeatedly demonstrated how swiftly ethnically charged rhetoric can endanger national cohesion and peace in the lead-up to a vote.
