NCIC Summons UDA MP Over Abusive Remarks

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) on Wednesday, May 17 summoned Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe over alleged inciting remarks.

Kagombe shared on his social media a letter addressed to him by NCIC dated May 8, 2023, compelling him to appear before the commission on Thursday, May 18.

“Take notice that you are hereby required to appear before the National and Integration Commission at the offices at Britam Towers 18. Floor Upper Hill on Thursday 18th May 2023 at 11.00 am so as to assist the Commission with aforementioned ongoing further investigation,” the letter read in part.

To affirm its summons, NCIC cautioned Kagombe against skipping them as it would be treated as an offence.

Gatundu South Member of Parliament Gabriel Kagombe. /FILE

“Take further notice that pursuant to Section 29 of the NCI Act, Summons, issued by the Commission must be obeyed as if such summons were issued by the High Court. Whereas that failure to appear in person at the aforementioned place, date, and time, is an offence as provided under Section 63(c) as read with section 63 ( e) of the National Cohesion and Integration Act,” the letter added.

NCIC made reference to Kagombe's remarks in April whereby he recommended that students should attend schools from their home county adding that Kiambu County was strained from accommodating learners from different counties.

He was speaking at Gatundu Stadium during a bursary cheques issuance event when he allegedly incited Kiambu residents against their North Eastern counterparts in the allocation of national resources, contrary to Section 13 (1) (a) of the National Cohesion and Integration Act.

Kagombe is accused of warning his counterparts from low-populated counties to begin construction of schools in their regions before they start lobbying for the abolition of the quota system that he claimed has been disadvantageous to learners from Kiambu county.

The education policy which was introduced in the yesteryears stipulates that provincial, now extra-county schools should admit 85 per cent of their students from their localities.

As he pushed for a fairer distribution of resources based on the population through the one-man, one-vote, one-shilling formula, the MP regretted that the quota system has over the years seen counties such as Kiambu teach learners from regions whose leaders have completely failed to put up education infrastructure.

“They have not been building schools or classes because they already have Kiambu to take their children. Our bursary is strained because we have a huge population, because we are putting up classes and because our learners get very little. There must be parity in the distribution of national resources. If there is no such, there cannot be parity in the distribution of votes. When we go back to parliament, we will demand to have learners’ schools from their respective counties,” Kagombe said.

“If you are there and you have not built schools, make arrangements on how you will study even if it means studying under a tree. It cannot be that our children cannot be admitted to schools built by their parents and leaders while those whose leaders don’t build classrooms get all the opportunities, we will not joke about this issue. We are making an early warning,” he added.

Instead of building learning institutions, Kagombe noted with concern that leaders from Arid and Semi-arid lands (ASAL) regions usually squander the public funds and, in most cases, channel the money to the construction of apartments in Nairobi.

This, he insisted, has seen leaders from highly populated counties strain to construct classrooms and issue education bursaries to the impoverished, stressing the need for parity in the distribution of national resources based on population factors.

Kagombe was declared the Gatundu South MP during the August 9, 2022 elections with 17,815 votes after beating his five competitors and causing an upset in the backyard of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Two independent candidates, Kungu Kibathi and Geoffrey Njinji emerged second and third with 15,417 and 14,886 votes, respectively. Kiambu Deputy Governor Joyce Ngugi who ran on a Jubilee ticket managed 5,806 votes.

Gatundu South Member of Parliament Gabriel Kagombe with President William Ruto. /FILE