Last month, the governing UDA party summoned one of its civic leaders, Anita Thumbi, to show cause why her nomination to the County Assembly of Nyeri should not be revoked due to her public association with the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), whose leader is Rigathi.
In the latest development, NCIC has taken a bold step by removing Wambui Nyutu from the position of Vice Chairperson, citing continued involvement in partisan political activities, a move the Commission says violates both her oath of office and the law. She was immediately replaced by Dr. Dorcas Kedogo.
In justifying the action, the Commission cited Section 23 of the National Cohesion and Integration Act (CAP 7N). NCIC Chairperson Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia said the Commission has formally communicated its decision to the “appointing authority”, in this case, the President and the National Assembly. Article 250(10)(b) of the Constitution states: “The members of the Commission (NCIC) shall elect a vice-chairperson from among themselves whenever it is necessary to fill the vacancy in the office of the vice-chairperson.”
In a rejoinder, Wambui Nyutu, who is currently accompanying Rigathi on his U.S. tour, slammed NCIC over the decision, terming it “unconstitutional, unlawful, biased, and politically instigated.” In a statement, she said: “It is with utter shock and dismay that I have learnt through the media of the Commission’s repressive and unfortunate ‘unanimous’ decision to relieve me of my duties as its Vice Chairperson.”
To keen observers, Nyutu’s downfall seemed inevitable, if not long overdue, as she had taken the frontline in Rigathi Gachagua’s political caravan, especially as the former Deputy President went bare-knuckle against the President.
At one point, while hosting Rigathi in her Mathioya backyard in Murang’a County, Nyutu dared the President to dismiss her from government just as he had “dismissed” the former DP.
At the height of the Gen Z protests, she took to Facebook and Instagram to blast former police spokesman Charles Owino for claiming that police who shot and killed unarmed mask hawker Boniface Kariuki Mwangi at close range did so after the peasant trader insulted them. She wrote: “Big Fat Liar. Kwani ni yeye tu [ndiye] ako na maskio ya kuskia hio matusi? Jesus save this country from the anarchists.”
In another social media post, the youthful advocate hit out at the government over shoot-to-kill orders: “How depressing that police have been given ‘shoot to kill orders’ and been told that demonstrators are not above the law. Wow! As if police are above the law. Jesus! Is it a massacre they wish to see? Do they want to see blood flowing through Thika Road like a river?”
Backed by what it deemed substantial evidence against her, the NCIC, led by Chairperson Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, convened a Special Commission Meeting on July 22, 2025, to deliberate on Nyutu’s conduct. Following the meeting, the Commission “unanimously resolved to relieve Ms. Nyutu of her role as Vice Chairperson of the Commission with immediate effect.”
According to a statement signed by Rev. Dr. Kobia, the Commission had previously convened three Special Meetings—on January 3, January 23, and February 6—to address Nyutu’s continued “participation in meetings affiliated with a particular political party.”
Wambui Nyutu is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with eight years of legal practice. She holds an MBA in Strategic Management from the University of Nairobi (UoN), a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law (KSL), and an LLB from UoN. She is also a fellow of the Women and Power program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and a Certified Professional Mediator from the Mediation Training Institute East Africa (MTIEA).
Before her appointment as an NCIC Commissioner, Nyutu served as a Board Member at the National Irrigation Board (NIB). She is currently an aspirant for the Woman Representative seat in Murang’a County under the DCP banner.
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