Raila Odinga of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition and William Ruto of Kenya Kwanza are locked in a battle to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kuzimia and Kenya Kwisha are two terms used by political opponents to disparage the Raila Odinga-led and William Ruto-led coalitions, respectively.
Ann Nderitu, the Registrar of Political Parties, has condemned the use of demeaning phrases when referring to rival political parties. She mentioned the use of the phrases ‘Kenya Kwisha’ and ‘Kuzimia’ in political rallies.
Nderitu stated “Let’s put an end to this practice of demeaning coalitions with amusing names. The Registrar does not want to hear people refer to each other as Kuzimia and Kenya Kwisha.”
This comes after the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) prohibited the use of more than 20 English, Kiswahili, and vernacular words that constitute hate speech and have the potential to incite political violence ahead of the August 9 election.
Religious leaders also urged politicians to refrain from hurling insults and verbal attacks and instead focus their campaigns on issues that would improve people’s livelihoods.
