Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has challenged political leaders using ethnic identity to rally support, saying such messages are increasingly out of touch with the lives of young Kenyans who have grown up across community and regional lines.
Ogamba appeared to take issue with former Deputy President and Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua, whose political activities in the Mt Kenya region have focused on building stronger regional cooperation ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The CS said political leaders should not encourage Kenyans to reject or distrust people simply because they belong to another community.
“We are being told every other day by leaders to hate each other, to hate our country, to hate the next person. We don't see anything good in a person who perhaps does not come from your community. That is not what you taught us,” Ogamba said on Thursday.
He said the country has changed, with many Kenyans growing up in places far from their ancestral homes, attending schools with people from different communities and forming friendships and working relationships across ethnic lines.
Ogamba cited the experience of a bishop with connections in different parts of the country as an example of how Kenyans have become more integrated.
“The bishop indicated that he is spread out. He has people in Maringo, he has people in Ukambani, he speaks Kisii, he does all these things. Most of us are in that category,” Ogamba said.
According to the CS, this reality makes political calls for communities to protect their regions from outsiders difficult for young people to understand.
He said children and young adults who have grown up surrounded by people from different backgrounds may struggle to make sense of messages telling them to draw boundaries along ethnic lines.
“So when you tell us don't touch this or the other, you shock us because already we have touched,” he said.
Ogamba's comments come at a time when political activity is picking up ahead of the 2027 elections, with Gachagua seeking to strengthen DCP's presence across the Mt Kenya region.
The former Deputy President has held a number of meetings and rallies while reaching out to elected leaders, grassroots politicians and supporters as he works to establish the party as a major political vehicle in the region.
Earlier this month, Gachagua hosted governors, MPs, MCAs and grassroots leaders who moved from other political parties, in what was part of his efforts to present DCP as a political home for Mt Kenya.
He has also called for political parties from the region to work together while retaining their separate identities. In August, he proposed a coalition that would back a one-term agenda as the region prepares for the next presidential contest.
Gachagua's political messaging has, however, attracted the attention of authorities over comments that have been described as potentially inflammatory.
Earlier this month, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission said Gachagua was among leaders summoned over alleged hate speech. The commission also noted that his file had previously been sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The question of ethnic and regional mobilisation has become a major part of the political debate as parties and leaders position themselves for 2027.
Gachagua has argued that opposition leaders should first strengthen their support bases in their respective regions before entering broader coalition talks.
While addressing supporters recently, he said leaders should first “lock their backyards” before coming together to discuss the wider opposition strategy.
Ogamba, on the other hand, said political competition should not be allowed to erase the bonds Kenyans have formed across ethnic and regional boundaries, particularly among younger citizens.