President Uhuru chastises DCI Kinoti over reopening PEV cases

President Uhuru Kenyatta today chastised Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti for claiming he would reopen  probe into the 2007-08 Post Election Violence that left more than 1,100 people dead.

Uhuru said he was not going to allow the country to head back to dark days where it leads to the reopening of old wounds.

However, yesterday, making the pronouncement, the DCI seemed to backtrack from his highly charged briefly.

While launching the signature collection drive for the BBI bill, the president said he will not accept such actions.

“Those who are trying to dig the graves, I read in the newspaper, let them not think they are joking, I cannot accept such things because we moved on and buried those memories. If you try again you don’t know what problems you might cause,” the head of state said.

(Wale ambao wanajaribu kuchimbua makaburi, nimesoma kwagazeti juzi wasifikiri wanacheza, mimi siwezi kukubaliana namambo kama haya. Tumetoka  huko na mambo haya tumezikakatika kaburi la sahau. Kwa sababu ukijaribu kuleta manenohapa, wewe hujui ni shida gani. Na wengine hawafikirii)

The President insisted that the issues that affected the country in the past would be resolved through constitutional and legal avenues for the country to be united.

“You don’t think before you talk, you don’t think before you act. You must always think before you do something. We don’t want violence in our country Kenya (Sisi hatutaki vita katika taifa letula Kenya),” Uhuru added.

The DCI boss Kinoti announcement to reopen  2007-08 Post-Election Violence cases triggered Deputy President William Ruto and leaders allied to him coming out strongly to condemn the move.

Ruto lieutenants claimed Kinoti’s move was part of the wider ploy to scuttle the Deputy President’s 2022 presidential bid.

In a press address on Monday, Kinoti said that some victims of the 2007-08 Post Election Violence had reported new threats against their lives, adding that over 100 cases had already been recorded.

The DCI boss vowed to do whatever it takes within the law to bring the perpetrators of the post-election violence to book, saying that would happen “very soon”.

“We have registered around 72 cases from those whose wives, husbands, children were killed…We have recorded cases of some who were driven out of their homes…We have 118 cases in total registered today with complainants and witnesses,” he stated.

However, a day after the DCI boss dismissed the claims saying his message was misinterpreted.