Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria’s bid to stop hate speech case fails
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- He appeared in court in June and was charged with incitement, hate speech and causing ethnic contempt in Facebook messages allegedly posted on May 16.
- After he was charged, Mr Kuria wrote to the NCIC seeking to settle the matter out of court.
The hate speech case against Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria will proceed after his bid to settle the matter out of court failed.
The MP allegedly posted hate speech messages on his Facebook account in May.
He appeared in court in June and was charged with incitement, hate speech and causing ethnic contempt in Facebook messages allegedly posted on May 16.
He denied the charges and was released on a Sh2 million cash bail and a Sh5 million bond.
He had been summoned to appear before the court on the recommendation of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) after complaints by the Law Society of Kenya.
After he was charged, Mr Kuria wrote to the NCIC seeking to settle the matter out of court.
In the letter dated September 22, Mr Kuria sought to settle the case out of court and said he was willing to participate in conciliation processes and “promote peaceful co-existence among diverse communities in our country”.
The LSK, however, set conditions for the MP to fulfill before the case could be withdrawn.
In a letter, NCIC Secretary Hassan Mohamed stated that after a meeting with the LSK, it was decided that the MP post an apology on his social media accounts and in advertisements in local dailies.
Mr Mohamed stated that Mr Kuria should also hold a public reconciliation meeting and undertake various activities that would bring cohesion in the country.
The MP, however, did not meet the set conditions and the LSK said the case would proceed Wednesday.
