Wetang’ula: NCIC must work all year, not only at election season
Key points
- Speaker Wetang’ula urged NCIC to operate continuously against hate speech, not only near polls.
- He called for partnerships with Education, DCI, ODPP, Judiciary and IEBC; said NCIC investigates while ODPP prosecutes.
- NCIC Chair Bishop Kepha Omae outlined a 2027 roadmap of prevention, public engagement and agency cooperation.
- Commissioner Jerusha Mwaathime asked Parliament for stronger investigative legal tools.
Cohesion that wakes up only in campaign year is already late. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula told the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to stay active all year against ethnic division, KBC reported.
“There is nothing wrong with belonging to a particular ethnic community. The problem comes when that identity is used to oppress and disadvantage others,” he said, urging closer work with the Ministry of Education so children learn unity early. He pressed NCIC to define its role with DCI, ODPP, The Judiciary and IEBC: investigation power without prosecution power means files must move cleanly to ODPP. “Elections are not just about voting. They are a process, and NCIC has a critical role in protecting communities from hate speech and leaders who spread division,” he said. Chair Bishop Kepha Omae said a 2027 roadmap is already under way — prevention, engagement with political leaders, elders, religious leaders and schools. Commissioner Jerusha Mwaathime asked Parliament for stronger legal tools on hard cases.
Roadmaps need summons, not workshops
Kenya has heard NCIC pledges every cycle. The test is public dockets of summons, prosecutions and school programmes with budgets — not only “lower the temperature” speeches.
Politics desk: Politics. Verified quotes and 2027 roadmap framing from KBC.
NCIC should publish monthly enforcement stats. Parties should discipline members named in hate-speech files.
Without that, 2027 will again invent cohesion in the last 90 days of campaigns.
Schools and county peace committees should be named in the public roadmap with budget lines, not only as talking points.
Readers should cross-check any deadline, fee, court date or programme claim against primary gazettes, agency circulars and court records before acting on this report.
Official gazettes, court rulings and agency circulars may update these facts after publication; readers should verify any deadline, fee or court date against primary sources before acting.
Based on KBC reporting of Wetang’ula’s address to NCIC. Programme details may expand in commission papers.
