This evening, government spokesperson Mr. Cyrus Oguna has released an official statement on Starehe Member of Parliament Charles Njagua Kanyi’s xenophobic remarks.
In a video which went viral on social media, the legislator gives Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i a 24 hour ultimatum to deport all foreigners doing business in the country or else, he would mobilize Kenyans “go into their shops, beat them and send to the airport”.
“The other day we saw Matiang’i claiming he had only deported six Chinese nationals yet we have hundreds in here. We are giving the government 24-hour ultimatum to deport them failure to which I will lead the locals in storming their shops and ejecting them. We are not talking about six Chinese nationals. We are talking of hundreds of foreigners who work here (Kenya). I give the government 24 hours to evict these foreigners lest I, being a representative of this area, go into their shops, beat them and send them all the way to the airport,” said Njagua.
His statement prompted Tanzania’s Speaker of Parliament Mr. Job Ndugai to order the Kenyan government to issue an immediate statement on the safety of Tanzanians in Kenya following heavy pressure from the nation’s MPs.
In the press release, the government distances itself from the singer-turned-politician’s remarks and strongly denounces the video.
Oguna ends the statement by assuring all foreigners in the country that their personal security is guaranteed.
