It’s imperative Kibunjia team’s term be extended

By Beauttah Omanga

Is the country staring at a free-for-all scenario where leaders will have a field day to make inflammatory statements as we approach general elections in the absence of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission?

I agree with Cabinet Minister Mutula Kilonzo that we will have blundered by not extending the Mzalendo Kibunjia-led Commission’s tenure automatically to ensure it keeps on toes leaders known to incite violence.

In less than a week, the term of the membership to the NCIC ends and as things stand, there is slim chance of MPs having in place a new body to carry on the delicate work the commission has been doing.

I am scared parliament will let the country down if NCIC’s tenure is not extended even for a year through the adoption of a Motion filed by nominated MP Mohamed Affey.

It’s only through passing of the extension Motion that we will have the hate-monger’s deterrent body in place as political temperatures rise. Were the MPs to gang up and reject the extension Motion thereby throwing the process of hiring new commission open, then the earliest we will have a new team in place will be well after the next polls.

Affey is simply pleading with his colleagues that full functionality of the commission remains critical to sustained peaceful co-existence among communities in the build-up to the general elections. And as the devolved governance structure is set up, the august House approves the extension of the NCIC commissioners for a period of 12 months.

The Commission has ignored its expiry date of September 7, 2012 and carried on with its core task of creating public awareness on cohesion and integration and monitoring those propagating hate speech.

Campaign mode

Many leaders have found themselves on a collision course with the commission and chances are high that the MPs taken on by the NCIC might gang up with their sympathisers to defeat the Affey Motion and dispatch the Kibunjia team home.

Given MPs must proceed on recess in December, its not possible that the Public Service Commission has sufficient time to advertise the vacancies, receive applications, shortlist, interview and forward names of prospective candidates to the two principals who, after consultations, will present their nominees to Parliament for vetting on time.

By then, the county will be deeply in election campaign mode and the vetting process will have to wait for the next parliament next April.

With that in mind also take note that on June 20, 2012, MPs defeated an amendment proposed by AG to give the President powers to re-appoint the current commissioners.

The amendment to the National Cohesion and Integration Act, 2008 was deleted from the omnibus Bill Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, which contained other changes to other laws.

Can the two principals urgently lobby MPs to agree to extend the NCIC tenure for at least a year?