The senator from Kenya’s Nandi County, Samson Kiprotich Cherargei was arrested on Tuesday morning by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal investigations (DCI) and arraigned in court following utterances he made at Kilibwoni Primary School on 17th August 2019. He was later released on a cash bail of Kes 300,000.
Cherargei, a close ally of the Deputy President William Ruto, was previously summoned by police over the remarks. In a viral video that circulated over social media in August, the senator is seen to issue unspecified threats at critics of the Deputy President. “For those who are opposed to the Deputy President, we are profiling you and marking you; we will deal with you,” he said.
He faces charges of ethnic contempt, in contravention of Section 62(1) of the National Cohesion and Integration Act as well as incitement to violence, contrary to Section 96(a) of the Penal Code.
His arrest is the culmination of investigations by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC). The government body was formed to address inter-ethnic conflict following the 2007-2008 post-election violence and ethnic clashes in Kenya that left 1500 people dead. The commission is investigating several politicians accused of incitement and hate speech against rival communities.