ODM leaders hold a press conference TWITTER
Orange Democratic Movement’s Communications Director Philip Etale, on Tuesday, apologized after posting comments that disgraced Kirinyaga residents during the Devolution Conference.
Through a post on his social media page that has since been edited, Etale accused the area residents of stealing equipment from Citizen TV crew claiming that they weren’t grateful they hosted the event but resorted to “daylight robbery.”
The post did not, however, go well with the residents who bashed him claiming he profiled them for a wrongful occurrence that was carried out by a few individuals.
Touched, the leader proceeded to write an apology in which he revealed that it was a sad thing to happen and even claimed that people from outside the county carried out the robbery, especially those from his home ground in Kakamega County.
“I am sorry to the people of Kirinyaga if my earlier post on the incident that took place during the ongoing Devolution Conference where media personnel had their equipment and personal property stolen in broad daylight rattled them.”
“Indeed it is a sad thing to happen and the outsiders (thieves from my County of Kakamega) who invaded the conference and committed the crime must be pursued and brought to book,” he posted.
ODM Director of Communication Philip Etale
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Etale confirmed that he meant his apology to them. He further revealed that they had politicised the matter claiming his statement was an official communication from ODM party.
“What I posted was, ‘the people of Kirinyaga, shame on you, how could you do this?,’ then guys got offended, (including) Itumbi (Dennis, State House Strategist) and Emannuel Talam (Communications Director in DP’s office). So what I did, I just retracted it and apologised. They said, “are you trying to say that the people of Kirinyaga are thieves?” then I said no…they started politicizing and saying that it is like official communication from my party that all the people from Kirinyaga are thieves,” he stated.
Car window that was smashed by the robbers who stole equipment from Citizen TV crew
Royal Media Services journalists, Stephen Letoo from Citizen TV and Waweru Nyambura from Inooro TV on Monday became victims of a robbery incident in Kirinyaga County. The robbers made away with property including Macbook Laptops, PXW Cameras, Citizen TV branded microphones, bags, money, cables and hard drives for both Citizen TV and Inooro TV.