Rein in perpetrators of hate speech

The national and county governments should rein in perpetrators of hate speech.

The current political climate in which sections of legislators have taken the law into their hands is an indicator that the country is sliding back to chaos. Did Kenyans ever learn from the 2007/08 post-poll madness in which hate speech was key mastermind? For how long will the centre of gravity hold?

Latest warnings from ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda that The Hague court will not shy away from its global duty of prosecuting crimes in Kenya should the ongoing hatred persist should be a wake-up call.

Barely a year ago, both US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis decried ethnicity and corruption, which are threats to national integration, and called for change of attitude.

The State should urgently empower the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) led by chairman Francis ole Kaparo to hold accountable all perpetrators of such utterances.

According the Holy Bible, the tongue is both the source of blessings and curses. James 3:6 says thus: The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

The sooner Kenyans of all walks of life take full charge of taming their tongues and accord priority to public interest as opposed to selfish interests, the better.