Agency in dilemma over use of ‘KKK’ tag

To ban, or not to ban the “KKK Alliance” tag? is the question the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) is grappling with as fears of rising tension over ethnic alliances hang over the country.

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta have written to the Mzalendo Kibunjia-led commission seeking to have the use of the name outlawed.

The leaders said the use of the tag, which allegedly refers to an alliance of Kikuyu, Kalenjin and Kamba politicians, amounts to hate speech.

The name has sparked outrage among some Kenyans who see it as isolationist though MPs backing the alliance have fought to counter claims of the creation of an ethnic group.

Dr Kibunjia told editors on Tuesday that the commission was still to act on the VP and Mr Kenyatta’s letters as extensive consultations were needed.

“We are going on a fact-finding mission. We shall listen to the complainants and the rest of Kenyans,” he said, noting that the commission hoped that speaking to key stakeholders and partners, including politicians, would help it arrive at a decision.

Dr Kibunjia, however, stressed that the law prohibited ethnic associations bent on gaining political power by isolating other communities.

The NCIC Act and Political Parties Act outlaw ethnic alliances that exclude others on a national scale.

“For KKK, the most important thing to understand and what we are grappling with is the objectives of this grouping. There are no minutes that one could use to trace the objectives and most reference is in the media,” he said.

In his letter, Mr Musyoka urged the NCIC to outlaw the use of “KKK Alliance” among Kenyans and the media.

“The KKK caricature that now dominates the media is designed to depict ethnic isolationism whereby the three communities are set against the rest of Kenya’s ethnic groups,” the VP wrote.