The Pastoralist Professionals Caucus has come out in support of Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, arguing that his recent remarks were taken out of context and deliberately mistranslated to create a false narrative.
In a press statement sent to newsrooms on Saturday, the caucus said Duale’s comments had been selectively translated by individuals with “vindictive motives,” insisting that he had used a well-known Somali proverb to illustrate the historical marginalisation of regions such as Northern Kenya, the Coast and Nyanza.
According to the organisation, the proverb was intended to highlight longstanding structural neglect by successive governments rather than promote ethnic division.
The caucus also criticised the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) for opening investigations into what it described as alleged tribal remarks by the Health CS.
It argued that the commission had acted swiftly in Duale’s case while failing to demonstrate similar urgency over previous remarks made by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who it claimed had repeatedly associated the people of Northern Kenya with Al-Shabaab.
“The selective enforcement of cohesion standards undermines public confidence in the Commission’s impartiality,” the statement said.
The group further cited remarks posted on social media by Githoni Wamuchomba, claiming they were more inflammatory and tribal in nature than the comments attributed to Duale.
It urged the NCIC to apply the law consistently in addressing divisive rhetoric regardless of the individuals involved.
The caucus also called on mainstream media organisations to avoid circulating heavily edited and inaccurately translated clips, saying responsible journalism requires accuracy, context and fairness.
It maintained that Northern Kenya, like every other region of the country, deserves to have its concerns discussed without distortion and reaffirmed its solidarity with the Health Cabinet Secretary.
They termed the politicisation of legitimate commentary on historical marginalisation and called for balanced public discourse on issues affecting historically underserved regions.
