The cohesion commission says it has charged in court close to 300 people over hate speech.
Some of those arrested are politicians accused of spewing hate, especially on social media, ahead of the repeat election.
However, the commission ruled out charging Embakasi East MP Babu Owino for allegedly abusing President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying the matter does not fall under its mandate.
Dr Joseph Onsongo, from the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, said the numbers are expected to rise as the campaigns hot up.
Onsongo, who spoke during a stakeholders' meeting in Naivasha yesterday, also denied claims that the agency is dormant.
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He said it is concerned that top politicians are engaging in hate speech.
“We have heard and received complaints about the case of Babu Owino, but this does not fall under the Cohesion Act but under the penal code,” Dr Onsongo said.
The commission's vice-chairperson, Irene Wainyoike, expressed concern over increased cases of hate speech, especially by senior politicians, warning that this could sink the country into anarchy. [Anthony Gitonga]
