Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has defended remarks made in Mandera County, which have prompted an investigation by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), stating his words were taken out of context.

• Aden Duale maintains a Somali proverb he used was misconstrued and not intended to cause ethnic division, but to illustrate the difficulty of changing entrenched habits.
• The NCIC is conducting a "thorough and impartial inquiry" into the allegations of ethnic profiling and incitement.
• Critics, including Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru and several senators, interpreted Duale's remarks as potentially inciting ethnic tensions, particularly ahead of the 2027 General Election.