Police to monitor hate speech

By Cyrus Ombati

All top police commanders have been summoned to Nairobi for a meeting on how they will tackle hate speech ahead of the 2013 general elections.

The meeting, which ran for the better part of Wednesday and ended late at night saw the Provincial Police Officers (PPOs) and other formation commanders supplied with audio recorders to monitor hate speech.

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) chairman Mzalendo Kibunjia and commissioner of police Mathew Iteere addressed the meeting held in Nairobi.

Another meeting was scheduled on Thursday and was to be addressed by lawyers and other senior officers.

Sources at the meeting said the PPOs were ordered to be firm and ensure they monitor and report all rallies addressed by politicians as part of efforts to tame the crime.

“Our instructions are to ensure we address the menace and so far we have high tech recorders which were given out by Kibunjia. We will not spare anyone for now,” said one senior officer.

Iteere is said to have told the commanders that some politicians continue to polarize the country regardless of the laws in place and urged them to be firm and fair.

Kibunjia is said to have told the officer the recording will then be transcribed and analysed to check if it has contradicted provisions on hate speech to secure evidence that can be used in court.

The recorders can store up to six hours of audio and they have powerful microphones that can pick sound from as far as 50 metres, another officer said.

The officers are said to have complained that some activists and politicians have been abusing the constitutional provisions that allow demonstrations in the country.

They argued that the activists usually do not respect other people’s rights whenever they stage demos. Iteere said they are considering having legislation to govern demonstrations in the country.

He said police do not have guidelines on how to handle demonstrators especially when they turn violent.

The police boss explained that legislation will be important to ensure there are clear provisions to approach demonstrations which have in the past turned violent despite having been congregated as peaceful gatherings.

“We do not have legislation as a security agency. What do you do when politicians call one million people to a meeting? When it turns violent, how many police officers will you require?” he asked.

Iteere further warned Kenyans against incitement and violence saying nobody will be spared if they make any attempts to interfere with peace in the country.

Hate speech continues to be a concern in Kenya after the 2008 post election violence, which was blamed on tribal hatred fanned by negative utterances to discriminate communities against others.