NCIC Vice Chairperson Wambui Nyutu told the press that the Commission had concluded investigations against the accused lawmakers including Oscar Sudi (Kapseret), Farah Maalim (Dadaab), and Dan Wanyama (Webuye West) and forwarded their files to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) calling for their arrest.
“We have more than 10 politicians (Farah Maalim, Dan Wanyama, and Oscar Sudi) who have been using language that can incite Kenyans. We have even completed our investigations and forwarded the files to DCI and if the DCI does take the next step which is to arrest and charge these criminals and the DPP takes them to court and there is prosecution, we will have made progress,” Nyutu told reporters.
NCIC Chairperson Samuel Kobia and the commissioners seperately held a press conference on Thursday, January 23, expressing concern over what they termed as ‘divisive rhetoric’ among political leaders.
According to the commission, the country was headed in the wrong direction, more than two years before the General Election, with leaders having a go at each other through verbal attacks.”We are alarmed by the surge in deeply divisive rhetorics which verge on hate speech and ethnic contempt, that has plagued the social media platforms as well as the public rallies in the recent weeks,” the commission said in a statement.Kobia, during the press conference, added, “We as NCIC demand an immediate return to order and decorum. These utterances we have witnessed in recent months have absolutely no place in Kenya.”
The commission further warned political players against misusing social media through the exploitation of Article 33 of the 2010 Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression.”It is very clear that the same Constitution does not guarantee freedom to propaganda for war, incitement to violence, hate speech, advocacy of hatred that constitute ethnic incitement, vilification of others or incitement to cause harm based on any ground of discrimination,” NCIC stated.Citing the National Cohesion Act 2008 Section 13 (1) (a) and Section 62 NCIC reiterated that the law unequivocally protects the rights of all Kenyans, regardless of their religious, ethnic, or political affiliations. Dig deeper: The scathing statement from NCIC comes at a time when there is unprecedented tension in the country as far as the political landscape is concerned.
With the general elections more than 30 months away, gloves appear to be off among leaders belonging to different political factions, who are keen to get an edge over their political adversaries.Recently former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua went on live on social media, dropping more bombshells against his former boss President William Ruto.Ruto, meanwhile, has been on a Western tour to launch different projects, and also recently openly slammed Gachagua for allegedly playing divisive politics.The President’s allies, including Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi, have also been keen on backing Ruto, albeit through explosive social media rants. On Monday, October 20, it went viral on X for accusing Gachagua of double standards and preaching against everything he once portrayed while in government.Meanwhile, Gachagua’s allies have also not been quiet online, with Githunguri Member of Parliament Gathoni Wamuchomba on Wednesday openly questioning the source of President Ruto’s bonuses to sugarcane farmers in Mumias.
