[NCIC boss Hassan Mohammed in a past event. He has warned vernacular Radio stations against hate speech. Photo/standardmedia.co.ke]
National Cohesion and Integration Commission CEO Hassan Mohammed has named vernacular radio stations as the source of most inflammatory rhetoric in the public sphere.
He put vernacular radio stations on notice, saying their content was being monitored to ensure they do not incite the diverse communities in the run-up to the general elections.
"We have observed that hate-filled rhetoric in vernacular radio stations played a role in the 2002 and 2007 election violence," said Mr Mohammed.
He said the country could not risk another repeat of the 2007 post-election violence.
"We are determined to ensure that our nation does not slide back into the chaos we witnessed in the 2007 elections. Hate speech and incitement in media channels and political rallies will not be tolerated," said Mr Mohammed.
He was speaking at a Kisii hotel during the launch of the Amani Club program that seeks to foster peace-building in schools and surrounding communities.
He urged teachers to inculcate peace-friendly values in their learners, saying it would go a long way in nurturing generations of Kenyans who would shun violence.
"Your input as education providers is vital to the development of future law-abiding citizens. By cultivating a culture of peace in their minds and character, you can raise up generations that will say no to violence, " he said.
Mr Mohammed said the importance of the schools as a learning centre for lifetime values and character traits could bit be underplayed.
He said education could be a bulwark against the rise of violent extremism in the country.
"In places as far-flung as North Eastern, some of the young people were radicalized by their madrassa teachers. Had these teachers concentrated on teaching them the right values, violent extremism would never have become an option for the young people," he said.
Mr Mohammed defended the NCIC against criticism on its failure to act on some situations, saying cases of libel and defamation were beyond its mandate.
"Cases of individuals insulting others are not within our jurisdiction. We are only concerned with utterances that are likely to cause hatred and violence between communities," he said.
County Commissioner Samwel Njora said the state would not hesitate to prosecute civil servants found engaging in hate speech. He asked teachers against taking advantage of their influential status in society to engage in hate speech.
"We did not take any teachers to the International Criminal Court but this time our determination to prosecute offenders will not spare anyone," said Mr Njora.
He asked teachers to play a major role in fostering the maintenance of peace in their learners.
Mr Njora asked policymakers in the ministry of education to work to improve the status of teachers in the society.
He said the dignity and respect once accorded to teachers had been overtaken by the emergence of new role models in society.
"We need to restore the dignity the teaching profession previously enjoyed. This in order for teachers' voices on the importance of peace to be heard and taken seriously," said the commissioner.
County TSC Director Martin Bundeh asked teachers to take the peace initiative seriously, saying they held the key to peace in schools and surrounding areas.
"Teachers should make the Amani Club inititiative their pet project. It shouldn't be taken as a government project but a national efforts to make our nation peaceful for the prosperity of our posterity," said Mr Bunde.
Others who attended the workshop included KNUT Kisii Branch Secretary Joseph Makabe, KUPPET Executive Secretary Albert Otungu, Kenya Secondary School Heads' Association (KESSHA) chair Jairus Onchoke