House team to bolster cohesion body in promoting peace

A parliamentary committee has said plans to strengthen the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) are afoot.

With less than 11 months to the General Election, the Joint Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity chaired by Johnson Sakaja said effective measures that curb violence should be put in place.

“Our discussions are centred on what are the reducible minimums before the elections for us to ensure that we have not only smooth and free elections but also one that is peaceful. Basing on the utterances of very many politicians and Kenyans in rallies, funerals and social media, it is as if the drums of war are already being beaten,” he added.

Addressing six government agencies at Traveller Beach Hotel in Mombasa on Saturday, Mr Sakaja said the government - through the NCIC and other agencies - will strengthen the cyber laws that will make certain the reduction of incendiary messages propagated through online platforms.

“This will make sure that Kenyans do not hide behind the veil of Facebook and other social networks just to insult each other,” he said.

Mr Francis Kaparo, NCIC chairperson, called on leaders from various political divides to sell their manifestos and avoid spreading hate remarks.

“Nobody in Kenya has a constitutional right to incite communities against one another, it is against the Constitution. We know there are people who can destroy this country through their reckless talk,” he said.

Mr Kaparo met officials drawn from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, ICT ministry, National Police Service Commission and the Interior ministry, among others.

The chairman said the commission will recruit 104 peace monitors who will be spread across the 47 counties.