Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago has threatened to take legal actions against any individual that will henceforth refer to the county as a hotspot.
Since the 2007/08 post-election violence, the county has been branded as a hotspot by government and non-governmental organizations.
But as the country heads to the August poll, Mandago is calling on various agencies, never to categorize Uasin Gishu as a hotspot.
Speaking during an inter-community meeting that brought together all communities living in the county, the governor said they will take legal action against anyone that will refer to the county as a political violence hotspot.
“This is a very peaceful county. And it is not a hotspot. We take offense to anybody that will call us a hotspot. Hiyo ni kupaka hii kaunti uchafu. We will go to court so that whoever says so gives evidence to justify such description,” Mandago said.
According to the vocal county boss, most areas were affected during the 2007/08 post-election violence and it is unfair to single out Uasin Gishu as a hotspot – about 10 years later.
He notes that continued reference to the county as a hotspot might scare away investors.
“For 10 years, we have attracted high investments and we want to continue reaping the dividends of peace that we are witnessing,” Mandago said.
The county boss further accused individuals outside the county of continuing to push the narrative that Uasin Gishu was still not safe for other communities.
“We have no internal problems in Uasin Gishu. Our problems are from people who live and work from outside the county,” he said, pointing out that in the past two elections, the county has proven to be very democratic.
And with the August 9 poll campaigns expected to intensify, Mandago is cautioning politicians against making utterances that might cause divisions among communities, especially in the county.
He said any politician visiting Uasin Gishu for campaigns must be keen on the statements they will be making.
“Kama unakuja mkutano hii kaunti ya Uasin Gishu, pima maneno yako. It doesn’t matter the political party you are aligned to. We are peaceful and we don’t want anybody to disrupt that,” Mandago said.
