Crackdown on Hate speech Welcome but Implementation of TJRC is the key

This week has been interesting. For starters, Nairobi politicians, Senator Mike Mbuvi alias Sonko and Governor Evans Kidero decided insulting each other wasn’t enough and engaged in a physical fight to the amusement of the other politicians present and indeed most Kenyans who watched the video. Indeed leaders elected mirror the electorate. The behavior of the two leaders is a direct reflection of the voters in Nairobi.

Meanwhile, it appears Ole Kaparo’s team is finally proving it can bite, albeit late. The fact that eight legislators from both CORD and Jubilee are spending time in a prison cell for hate speech for at least four days is quite refreshing especially because some of them have been spewing hate like their life depended on it. The high court upheld the lower court’s decision to deny them bail and detain them citing public interest over individual interest.

Politicians have perfected the art of pitting Kenyans against each other for their own selfish gains with little or no repercussions. Since the 2005 referendum, hate speech has been entrenched among Kenyans and encouraged by politicians over the years, especially during election period. It is therefore interesting to see how the mighty feel the wrath of the law. A journalist remarked that they should use their experience as a “benchmarking trip” to improve prison conditions.

Nonetheless this might not exactly do the trick as hate speech is a mere symptom of the disease. As long as we are not willing to deal openly and honestly with the real issue, National Commission and Integration Commission should be prepared to make more arrests. That hate speech is still alive and well is proof NCIC has not only been sleeping on the job but also failed terribly. These knee-jerk reactions are just that. But the commission can redeem itself if the chairman stops hiding under “lack of evidence” when the rest of Kenya sees it in captured video all the time.

There are documented reports of politicians inciting their communities against others. In fact some politicians became popular because of their notoriety to whip their community’s emotions. Despite NCIC’s Act that stipulates a jail term of up to 5 years or Ksh. 1 million fine, none of these notorious hate speech mongering politicians have ever paid for their utterances.

The 2007/2008 Post-Election Violence (PEV) wasn’t just about stolen elections. One of the main motivating factors was land and inequitable distribution of resources and feelings of disenfranchisement from “power”.  TJRC in their report mentions these challenges and more and provides for an adoption process of the report submitted.

The government can help end this vicious cycle of hate speech every dawn of general elections by implementing the TJRC report. The hate or dangerous speech as Umati defines it is like the first labor pains that precede the chaos. Let us stop postponing the inevitable.

We have serious problems in this country. From run-away corruption as evidenced by the NYS saga and unscrupulously acquired fertilizers that enrich a few and leave majority poor and hurting. IEBC demonstrations and the drama we’re witnessing with the Supreme Court too are just symptoms of the disease.

While NCIC for the first time appears ready to go for the big fish, the government should save us all from the dangerous speech that might lead to violence and act on the TJRC report. Talking tough about hate mongers may have short-term effects but we need long-term sustainable solutions.

Posted by Mzalendo Editor on June 18, 2016

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