Lack of an elaborate language policy in the country has contributed to emergence and spread of hate speech which has divided Kenya along ethnic lines, ICT CS Joe Mucheru has said.
Speaking at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) on Tuesday during the opening of stakeholders workshop on Language Policy, Mucheru said that the government is formulating a Language Policy whose implementation will curb hate speech among other things.
"Recent public pronouncements by a section of leaders in the country call for a formulation of a language policy framework to maintain peace and security," said Mucheru.
He said that the proposed language policy will focus on three main areas and will be effective in the next three months. The areas are language for good governance, language for a strong economy and language for a vibrant society.
"We are doing this with an aim of preserving our cultural dynamics and directing our language energies for national development," he added.
Language for good governance, Mucheru said, will entail policy statement to promote unity, equity and justice while language for vibrant society will help foster a harmonious and cohesive society.
On the other hand, language for a strong economy will focus on education and creation of wealth.