Kenyans have to learn from the past and allow voice of reason

NAIROBI: This has been the week of war drums. In reality however, war drums have been hammered for some time, they have just been more nuanced and less volatile except those on social media which have been explicit, aggressive and unapologetically combustible. Actually those statements that have landed politicians in court have been doing the rounds in social media platforms for a while.

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) appears completely neutered when it comes to Internet-based hate mongering, even when it is uttered by persons easily traceable. The tacit support for flammable utterances, most evident through these platforms. is what partly makes politicians comfortable to utter their own incendiaries. They know they have groundswell of support, from the elite who preach water at daytime but guzzle wine once darkness comes, and from a public who believe that their security and prosperity is tied to this leadership. You would be shocked at how these politicians we frown upon are popular in their rural villages. They attract hero worship and are considered warriors, the assumption being that we are, or will soon be, in some ethnic war.