Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i has warned against abuse of the freedom of expression in the internet.
According to him, Kenyans have turned to social media to voice their frustrations on issues.
“We will not do things like switching off internet, it will not happen here.. we will not harass people but because we are confident, we will act according to the law and call people to account,” Matiangi said.
Speaking during the launch of the 2020-2025 strategic plan focused on taming ethnic based political violence, reducing incidences of hate speech, encouraging peaceful co-existence between communities and also eliminating ethnic discrimination, Matiang’i said that the security sector was adequately prepared to prevent any political violence.
He said that they have formed a multi-agency team, who are meeting together, to start the countdown to elections they have mapped the country looked at hotspots areas where they are likely to face certain challenges.
“…we are looking at where we need resources and deployment to ensure every Kenyan is protected and they exercise their right fully,” he said.
National Cohesion and Integration Commission(NCIC) chairman Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia said the commission will work with the Directorate of Criminal Investigation(DCI) and the Director of Public Prosecutions(DPP) to ensure perpetrators of hate speech are dealt with.
“If it is possible to set up special courts to deal with the cases that are as i said hate mongers, those who incite violence we have many pending cases because of the backlog,” he said.
However, Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu who also attended the launch warned NCIC that there would be no conviction without evidence.
“Please do your work appropriately anything less that concrete evidence shall not suffice and we shall not condemn people unheard,” Mwilu said.
Kobia had earlier last month said that he will ensure that politicians notorious for hate speech don’t obtain visas as part of efforts to curb the vice in the country.
Speaking during the launch of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC) Strategic Plan (2020-2024) in Bomas of Kenya, he said that he is in talks with at least 15 envoys to deny the politicians visas.
“If we don’t give them visas, then they will behave. More so, those who incite violence should not be allowed to go to Europe or North America.. this will ensure that they stop behaving the way they do,” he said.
Kobia disclosed that some politicians pleaded saying they hope their name won’t be in the list of shame.
According to Kobia, this has made hate speech go down since politicians don’t want their friends to know that they are on the list of shame.
