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Polycarp Igathe, a Jubilee candidate for the Nairobi governor, has been forced to apologize over the remarks that had irked a section of the Somali Community living in Nairobi.
Igathe who was accused of profiling the Somali community defended himself by saying that his comments should not be understood to be about individuals, but about the equitability of access to services and opportunities for work and economic benefits in Nairobi County.
Last week while meeting the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), Igathe claimed that some of the elected Nairobi County representatives were under the control of a cartel led by three Somali businessmen.
Igathe’s statement came following a viral video of him accusing Members of the County Assembly from the Kikuyu community of being held hostage by three Somali MCAs he didn’t name, whom he said are controlling the city-county assembly.
“Nairobi has 45 MCAs, who are Kikuyus, I can tell you they are all controlled by three Somalis. that is a fact. the capture is too serious. even yesterday they were doing things that are completely illegal and illicit“, Igathe said.
But on Sunday, the former deputy governor issued an apology, saying that he was misunderstood as he was only addressing the issue of equitability for all Nairobians to enjoy services and economic opportunities, he also went ahead and assured the community that his words in the future would reflect his deep respect for them.
“I would like to say that if the broader Somali community or anyone was hurt or inadvertently offended by comments made in the context of engagements on the campaign trail, I am sorry for any such offense or hurt,” the apology reads.
Igathe also promised that once elected in the August 9th elections, he plans to create opportunities for all.
“Our response in our manifesto in this regard will be about creating opportunities for everyone and ensuring that no one group of people whomsoever they may be, enjoys more than their fair share of services or economic opportunities than others,” his part of the statement reads.
“Our response will be to make Nairobi more democratic, transparent, and sustainable for everyone. It is this cry and aspiration of the people of Nairobi, that we are responding to and are offering ourselves on 9th August 2022, to Champion.” he added.
Igathe went ahead and assured the Somali community living in Nairobi and beyond that, he will value their support and partnership in working to make Nairobi a better place to live and work in.
