Questions have been asked following the decision by President Uhuru Kenyatta's team to edit a video of the speech be delivered on Thursday night when he met Kenyans living in Namibia.
On Friday morning, through the official account of the president, Uhuru sent tough message to his allies in the fight against corruption but would later have all his social media accounts suspended.
In the first unedited version, the President doesn’t mince his words. He tells Kenyans living in Namibia at the Windhoek Country Club: “You can be my brother or my sister or my closest political ally, or whatever you are but you are an enemy of Kenya and we will fight with you”.
He also warns: “If you seek a position of authority, it must be on the basis of what you are going to be able to do to serve your fellow man, not to serve yourself,” the clip begins.
He continues: “And that is why, wapende wasipende, rafiki ama adui, ndugu ama dada. Wewe kama unataka kuingiana na mambo ya ufisadi, tukapigana na wewe. (Whether they like it or not, a friend or enemy: my brother or sister, we will fight you if you involve yourself in corruption.),” he sternly says with an animated gesture of his left arm.
But in the second redacted one that was dispatched to newsrooms, the reference to "the closest" ally is removed. A jump cut editing out ‘or my closest political ally’ is seen at the 43rd second of the 1 minute 15 seconds clip. A jump cut is an abrupt transition from one scene to another.
Omission of the term 'political ally' has caused confusions among Kenyans with some wondering if the president realised that he had stepped on toes of those he's fighting in the graft war.
Lately, Uhuru has been speaking from different script with his deputy William Ruto. While the former believes in the strides made by agencies fighting corruption, the latter insists that the ongoing onslaught targets his 2022 political ambitions.
Interestingly, Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita, who had claimed that Uhuru's social media accounts were hacked, sensationally claimed that the Head of State's corruption remarks may have rattled those in the system.
Mr Nzioka said: “It seems the President’s stand on corruption has generated all manner of reactions”.