Nairobi News

An anonymous orator once said “Be careful of the words you say, Keep them short and sweet. You never know, from day to day, which ones you’ll have to eat”.

It now appears that controversial Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria has never heard of such a saying.

He, however, we must say, is a good student of former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill (also a great orator) who said “eating words has never given me indigestion”.

After a video surfaced on social media showing controversial Mr Kuria urging some of his constituents to hack opponents of the revamped National Youth Services (NYS) programmes with machetes, the MP remained adamant that he would not apologize.

But the legislator, who is already facing hate speech charges, beat a hasty retreat on Wednesday and offered a somewhat half-hearted apology.

Mr Kuria said the remarks were made 12 days ago, maintained that nobody was incited and that he had no regrets about it. “I only regret that they (remarks) were misconstrued.”

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

The legislator spoke in his vernacular Kikuyu language in the footage that was posted by blogger Robert Alai on his Facebook account.

“Those pangas are not just for cutting grass. Someone like that (opposed to the NYS programme), you first prune him and finish him,” says Mr Kuria.

He then says NYS personnel in Gatundu are his militia to guard the “development projects being spearheaded by President Uhuru Kenyatta and himself”.

He then attacks former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as “yule mtu wa vitendawili” and says NYS in Gatundu was his militia to guard the “development projects being spearheaded by President Uhuru Kenyatta and himself”.

“Yule mtu wa vitendawili alisema eti nyinyi sijui ni militia ya Jubilee. Hapa Gatundu nyinyi ni militia yangu mimi sitaki  ujinga. Nimewapatia mapanga kata mtu kama mtakata,” the MP adds amid ululation from the crowd.

“Na sio yangu sababu ya mimi mwenyewe. Ni yangu sababu ya kulinda ile maendeloe ile mimi na mheshimiwa rais tunaleta hapa Gatundu.”