The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has taken action in response to a viral video, summoning Dadaab Member of Parliament, Farah Maalim to appear before the commission on Thursday, July 11, 2024, at 11:00 A.M.
In a statement on July 10, the Commission said that it was investigating utterances made by the MP in Somali language, regarding the ongoing Gen Z demonstrations against the Finance Bill 2024.
“Pursuant to Section 27 of the National Cohesion and Integration Act No. 12 of 2008, the Commission is investigating utterances made by the MP in Somali language, on the Gen Z demonstrations against the Finance Bill 2024.”
According to NCIC, the viral video captures the MP making statements that the commission believes are likely to “incite feelings of contempt, hatred, hostility, violence or discrimination” and affect the harmonious coexistence between groups of different political affiliations.
This is said to be in violation of Section 13(1)(a) of the National Cohesion and Integration Act.
Farah Is Summoned by the Commission
In response the NCIC has summoned Farah Maalim to appear at their offices on the 17th Floor of Britam Tower, Hospital Road, Upper Hill, Nairobi, to assist with the ongoing investigation into the incident.
Also Read: Farah Maalim Clarifies Viral Video Claiming He’d Kill 5000 Gen Z Protesters
Also, the commission has warned that failure to appear in person at the specified place, date, and time would constitute an offense under Sections 63(c) and 63(e) of the NCI Act.
“Failure to appear in person at the said place, date, and time, is an offense as provided under Section 63 (c) as read with Section 63 (e) of the NCI Act.”
NCIC Flags Another Viral Video of an Elderly Man
Apart from the Daadab MP, the NCIC also summoned an elderly man identified as Merimet to appear before the commission on Monday, July 15, 2024, at 11:00 A.M.
The summons comes after a viral video surfaced, where Merimet, made statements that the NCIC has deemed as potentially inciting feelings of “contempt, hatred, hostility, violence or discrimination” between the Kalenjin and Kikuyu communities.
In the viral video, Merimet is reported to have told the Kikuyu community living in the Rift Valley region to “vacate if Gachagua and Uhuru would not let President Ruto rule in peace.”
He also urged the Kikuyus to “talk to Uhuru and Gachagua and ask the two leaders what their problem with Ruto was,” referencing reports linking Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and former President Uhuru Kenyatta to the ongoing Gen Z protest.
NCIC Makes Appeal to the Public
In a bid to maintain social cohesion and harmony in the country, the NCIC has called on the public to report any cases of hate speech to their toll-free SMS number, 1547.
Additionally, NCIC noted that they had been closely monitoring hate speech cases on social media and other public platforms.
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Their noted that their efforts have led to a significant reduction in such cases, which the commission attributes to its continuous engagement with the public on the importance of mitigating hate speech and ethnic contempt.
“Regarding social media platforms, the Commission flagged 44 cases on discrimination, 24 on incitement, 6 on hate speech, 93 on misinformation, and 68 on disinformation – totaling 268 cases.”
“The NCIC is committed to ensuring Kenya remains a peaceful society and that the gains made over the last years are solidified,” said the commission.
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