Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Kenya is in the throes of a very deadly contest. This contest is being fought between two antagonistic political sides, each of whom believes they are “right”. The two could crudely be defined as forces coalescing around the system, and those in opposition to it. This contest is clearly no more than posturing and positioning to gain advantage for the 2027 general election.

Each side is employing the worst possible toxic rhetoric they can muster to frame their opponents, who then respond in the same coin. They all have paid bloggers whose work seems to be nothing else but spend the day disseminating hateful content. Each purports to occupy the high moral ground, deeming themselves the ones talking for Kenyans, of whom neither side has consulted.

The media has gleefully joined the battle. Both mainstream and social media have now become the platforms on which this incendiary jingoism is being disseminated. And they are unapologetic about it. The social media space particularly has become a hornet’s nest, where the language in use is completely incendiary and highly irresponsible. The peddling of ethnic bigotry, insults and outright falsehoods is at another level. 

As a consequence, Kenyans are being treated to an increasingly toxic environment. The current political space is very poisoned indeed. Political tensions are rising to highly charged levels.

 But politicians are not ready to back off from their hardline positions, each side convinced of “being on the side of truth!” Even where politicians call for the toning down of political temperatures and moderation of discourse, it is a mere self-serving statement which just continues the debasement and dehumanization of their opponents. Political polarisation in Kenya has gained major traction. This will not end well for the country, which is hurtling down a very dangerous trajectory. When will politicians take a deep breath and exhale?

Yet this was the very scenario that informed the establishment of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC). In its mandate of ensuring national cohesion, NCIC has an obligation to keep track of hate speech and tribal jingoism, and ensure the perpetrators are arrested and charged. This is especially so where there are purveyors of hateful rhetoric. This is because hateful rhetoric has had very devastating political consequences in Kenya.

As such, NCIC remains the only honest arbiter in the political space. It becomes the independent arbiter of ‘truth”, by making value judgments on whether certain statements made by politicians meet the hygiene test.

The year 2024 was one that saw toxic statements liberally bandied around by players in the political space. Not once did NCIC make any intervention. It simply slunk into a corner and tried to stay as invisible as possible. In other words, at the time when it should have been one of the most active players in the political ecosystem in Kenya, when the country needed it the most, it abdicated its responsibility. It continues to do so to this day!

Rev Dr Samuel Kobia was quoted saying that the NCIC is overwhelmed. Others might postulate that he simply lacks the courage necessary to take on the country’s politicians, an irreducible minimum for that job. If Kobia continues to twiddle his thumbs while London burns, he urgently needs to be removed from that position.

The fact is that no one side can insult the other and not expect a riposte! The dialogue, if one can call it that, has degenerated from statements of fact to pouring vitriolic, dehumanising and callous personalised attacks. The game plan seems to be “you hit me, I hit you” revenge attacks.

But all players are so wrapped in their own self-righteous posturing that they are hearing nothing outside their echo chambers.

Most Kenyans just want to get on with their lives that are currently very tough. They could do with less anxiety from the ongoing political discord, and an end to the dangerous sabre-rattling. Politicians must be called to order. All this belligerence and toxic rhetoric must stop!

— [email protected]