‘NCIC is not biased in dealing with incitement cases,’ chairman Kobia says

National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) Chairman Dr. Samuel Kobia has dismissed assertions by certain factions claiming that the government agency is biased when it comes to addressing cases of alleged tribal incitement.  

According to Kobia, the agency treats all cases of tribal incitement equally and does not sway towards any political camp when fostering long-term cohesion between Kenya’s ethnic communities, despite what is being purported by some pro-DP William Ruto legislators. 

"We do not have double standards and I have heard this before from legislators such as Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen. We deal with those who are involved in hate speech and it cuts right across," Kobia said on Citizen TV's Monday Report show.  

His remarks follow ‘madoadoa’ utterances made by Meru Senator Mithika Linturi on Saturday, during Deputy President William Ruto’s political rally in Eldoret, which were misconstrued to advocate for incitement and tribal segregation. Linturi has since been arrested and is set to face charges.

“We have taken it seriously. When used in Kenya it evokes memories.  We know that in 2007, this word was used and went all the way to The Hague and therefore it is not just a word that means spots here and there,” Kobia said.

“It fits within a process that we have seen in history, situations that lead to massacres and even in genocide. It was a word that was used that mobilized people incited people and therefore it led to the killings that we had that is why as NCIC we are taking it very seriously.”

Kobia consequently advised elected leaders and their constituents to refrain from using the controversial term owing to the fact that it poses grave danger to the cohesion of the country’s democratic society, observation of human rights, and rule of law.

“There are some people who are saying that the term is not in the constitution but it needs not to be. It should simply not be used as a word because we know what it meant and the kind of violence it caused as such people should not use it,” he added.

Kobia similarly also reiterated that NCIC is fully carrying out its legal mandate and should not be criticised for ineffectiveness since it investigates cases of incitement and should it find any incriminating evidence against alleged inciters it will proceed to forward the names to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for action.

Once this is done, Kobia says, the matter is no longer in NCIC’s jurisdiction but that of the ODPP, as such the agency should not be accused of failing to carry outs its lawful function.

“You can’t say that NCIC is ineffective because we have done our mandate by law,” he added.