It’s time to cut out the cancer of hate speech

What you need to know:

  • The advent of advanced technology, in particular the internet, has given people unprecedented reach and flexibility to propagate hate speech.
  • The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and religious institutions have repeatedly expressed concern at the rising incidence of hate speech, saying this would have harmful ramifications.
  • Unknown to many, there is a huge economic interest that flourishes under the conflict of hate. In Kenya, the political class depends on ethnic sensitivities to achieve its political objectives.

I do not have a gauge to measure hate speech, but based on historical facts and social experience, this equals any expression that is delivered or communicated orally, in writing, or using text or graphics to depict an individual,  group, community, or society in a malicious, demeaning, insulting, or offensive manner.

The advent of advanced technology, in particular the internet, has given people unprecedented reach and flexibility to propagate hate speech.

Traditionally, purveyors of hate messages encroached on victims’ physical space to intimidate them with their venom.

The targeted parties would then resort to self-defence and reply in kind as a means of survival. The result was usually long-drawn conflict, hatred, mistrust, and animosity.

Hate speech is an anthem for bigots and is a precursor of heinous crimes in the league of genocide and ethnic cleansing. In fact, hate speech disguised as political argument was the driving force, the kerosene, that almost destroyed Kenya during 2007/8 post-election violence.

EFFECTIVE INSTRUMENT

Kenya needs an effective legal instrument to deal with hate mongers. The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and religious institutions have repeatedly expressed concern at the rising incidence of hate speech, saying this would have harmful ramifications.

The unsuccessful attempts to intervene make NCIC come across as a toothless dog. It rarely takes suspects to court, claiming lack of evidence to sustain their prosecution.

The most it seems able to do is to summon suspects before its commissioners and plead with them to withdraw their statements and offer an apology.

Politicians seem to be at the forefront of propagating hate speech and a handful of them have been named in this connection.

However, they seem to be untouchable, their immense political clout neutering the watchdogs. None of them is ever held to account and made to pay the price for their reckless utterances.

ECONOMIC INTEREST

The politics of hate speech is similar to racism in the Western world. Unknown to many, there is a huge economic interest that flourishes under the conflict of hate. In Kenya, the political class depends on ethnic sensitivities to achieve its political objectives. Eradication of this problem is possible if it means the perpetrators are made to pay a political price for their utterances and actions.

The best solution lies in setting up a system of accountability, a point system like the one used to manage traffic safety in the United states.

In the system, perpetrators are awarded points for each infraction. Once such offenders have four entries against their name, they are classified as delinquents and banned from holding public office for the rest of their lives.

This would discourage merchants of hate speech from using it in their political competitions as there will be no value to be earned from peddling incitement and unsavoury bigotry language.

This approach requires political will to introduce and successfully implement and presents a great opportunity to promote national cohesion. 

Major (Rtd) Wato, formerly of the Kenya Defence Forces, works and lives in the US. ([email protected])