In any democratic society, leadership is measured not by speeches made at podiums, but by the courage to act consistently in the face of wrongdoing, regardless of who commits it. Kenya today finds itself at a dangerous crossroads, not because of isolated statements made by fringe actors, but because of a disturbing pattern of selective silence and ethnic double standards at the highest levels of government.

When individuals aligned with President William Ruto, particularly from the Kalenjin community—his own tribe—make incendiary, reckless, and dangerously tribal statements, the state remains mute. Their utterances are explained away as personal opinions or ignored entirely. Public figures such as Oscar Sudi, Samson Cherargei, Nelson Koech, William Kamket, and others have on multiple occasions issued remarks that—by any reasonable standard—amount to ethnic profiling, intimidation, or incitement. Yet, the machinery of state repression is conspicuously idle.

In sharp contrast, when members of the opposition or leaders from non-aligned regions issue far less provocative or even constitutionally protected political statements, they are met with swift arrest, condemnation, and media-fueled demonization. Leaders like Rigathi Gachagua or Martha Karua have seen their words weaponized against them in what is clearly a double standard of justice.

This is not mere political bias. It is dangerous. It points to a systemic corrosion of national unity, a betrayal of the oath of office, and a frightening echo of Kenya’s darkest chapter—2007/2008.

Let us not forget the horrors of Kiambaa Church, where innocent women and children were burned alive. The genocide-like atrocity was not born of sudden rage. It was nurtured by unchecked political incitement, silence from leadership, and the myth of ethnic impunity. Utterances that dehumanize other communities or frame political rivalry as tribal hostility are the very fuel that fed that inferno.

We must ask: what is the role of the President of the Republic in all this?

When the Head of State remains deafeningly silent in the face of tribal incitement—especially from those close to him—he sends a chilling message. Either he condones the messaging as part of a well-rehearsed script, or he has fundamentally misunderstood the weight of his role as the president of all Kenyans.

Leadership is not about rewarding loyalists with impunity. It is about drawing moral red lines that no tribe, no party, no supporter—no matter how close—may cross. It is about protecting the soul of a nation, not pandering to its tribal fault lines.

The ethnic incitement we see today is not just reckless. It is a powder keg. And history has shown us, with blood and ash, just how swiftly such negligence can spiral into national tragedy.

We call on President Ruto to publicly and unequivocally condemn all forms of tribal incitement, whether from opposition leaders or his closest allies. The Kenyan people deserve equal protection under the law and equal outrage in the face of wrongdoing.

Selective outrage is not governance. It is complicity.

The price of silence is always paid in blood. Let us not wait for the next Kiambaa to remind us of that.

Published in the spirit of truth, justice, and national unity. The Diaspora Times Editorial Desk.