Former President Uhuru Kenyatta Monday warned against what he termed rising “politics of division”.
He urged leaders to focus on the cost of living and other issues uniting Kenyans, and cautioning that hate speech can quickly push the country back to the kind of tension witnessed during the 2007 post-election violence.
Uhuru, who is the Jubilee Party leader, spoke on Monday at the Kiambu Golf Club where he met party delegates, using the forum to address both Jubilee’s internal challenges and the country’s wider political climate.
He said Jubilee’s recent troubles were not self-inflicted, claiming they were engineered after he handed over power peacefully and began a process of renewing the party’s leadership.
He said after leaving office he started a plan to help Jubilee get new leaders to take it forward through a lawful process.
However, he claimed some people sought to “muddy” the party’s name and took it to court, disrupting the leadership transition.
Uhuru said he had intended to leave the party leadership earlier but remained in office because court processes blocked him from stepping aside.
Uhuru also spoke about internal party democracy, saying Jubilee’s next leadership election would be conducted fairly.
He underscored that Jubilee is not a regional outfit but a national party that must unite the country, warning that leaders should not use intimidation or discrimination to win political support.
Uhuru said he was concerned by what he described as leaders openly peddling divisive rhetoric “even in front of the leaders of the country”, yet no one calls them out.
He warned that such rhetoric can have grave consequences, insisting that Kenya must learn from past mistakes.
Uhuru appealed to national leaders not to allow the rhetoric to continue, arguing that Kenyans are not angry because of politics, but because of economic pressure.
He gave an example of what he said many households face: low wages while fuel and taxes take up much of their income.
He said political blame games and repeated finger-pointing at individuals will not put food on the table or build roads.
The former president also challenged young leaders to avoid what he called “cheap popularity”, urging them to sell policies and present solutions that can improve livelihoods, create jobs and stabilise the economy.
Uhuru further urged politicians not to recycle old political labels to mobilise division, saying Kenyans are more concerned with practical solutions.
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