The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), religious leaders and civil society organisations have joined forces to promote peaceful coexistence and prevent political violence ahead of Kenya’s 2027 General Election.
The commitment was made on Wednesday during a consultative forum at CORAT Africa in Nairobi, where the NCIC, Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK), World Vision Kenya, government representatives, civil society organisations and development partners agreed on measures to tackle hate speech, misinformation, political polarisation and identity-based mobilisation.
The groups warned that the 2027 elections should not be viewed merely as a contest for political power, but as an important test of Kenya’s national cohesion, social trust and institutional resilience.
In a joint communiqué, the participants reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful elections and called on political leaders to reject violence, intimidation, ethnic mobilisation and goonism.
“We, the religious leaders, faith-based institutions, government representatives, civil society organisations, and development partners, do hereby issue this solemn communiqué to reaffirm our collective commitment to national cohesion, peace, and peaceful elections ahead of 2027,” the communiqué states.
The initiative comes against the background of Kenya’s history of election-related political violence and rising concerns over inflammatory political rhetoric and the use of digital platforms to spread divisive content.
"Political competition must not divide our communities, ethnic identity must not be weaponized for political gain, and our diversity must remain a source of strength rather than division," NCIC CEO Daniel Mutegi said.
NCIC Chairman Bishop Kepha Nyamweya Omae urged church leaders to take a stronger stand against politicians who use places of worship to spread inflammatory messages.
"Kenya's diversity of faith is not a fault line to be managed, it is the very foundation on which lasting peace can be built. Our differences are our greatest strength when united by a common purpose," Bsh. Omae said.
He told religious leaders that they have the authority to prevent politicians from turning churches into platforms for hate and division, including denying them access to microphones.
The religious leaders also committed to moving beyond peace messaging and taking practical action to prevent violence.
“We call upon political leaders to reject the use of goonism. We call upon our sons and daughters to reject recruitment into violence. We commit ourselves as faith leaders to move beyond peace messaging and practical action for peace,” Omae said.
A major concern raised at the forum was the spread of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and digitally enabled incitement, including the growing use of artificial intelligence-generated content and deepfakes.
The groups pledged to launch a coordinated “Faith Against Hate” campaign to promote tolerance and responsible digital citizenship.
“We commit to counter hate speech, misinformation and disinformation and digitally enabled incitement,” said IRCK moderator Jeremiah Gumo.
Religious leaders and youth influencers will be trained to identify harmful content, verify information and develop counter-messaging. The groups will also establish sustained platforms for dialogue between faith leaders and young people, particularly Generation Z.
The youth will be incorporated into peacebuilding, civic education and early-warning structures, with leaders urging them to exercise their political rights peacefully.
“We call upon young people to exercise their political agency peacefully and to reject recruitment into violence,” the communiqué states.
The initiative will also address underlying grievances that can fuel conflict, including youth unemployment, inequality, exclusion, land and resource disputes and county-level tensions.
The media has been identified as another key partner, with the groups calling for conflict-sensitive and responsible reporting while urging journalists to hold politicians accountable for divisive rhetoric.
World Vision Kenya Interim National Director Gershon Mwakazi said a national mechanism would be established to coordinate the peace efforts.
“We will establish a national interfaith election committee to coordinate implementation of these commitments,” Mwakazi said.
The proposed National Interfaith Elections Peace Coordination Committee, co-chaired by the IRCK and NCIC, will monitor implementation and coordinate with government agencies, security institutions, civil society, media, youth and women’s organisations.
“Youth engagement is not an afterthought. It is central to how we are approaching this electoral period. Young people must be engaged as partners and peace actors, not only noticed when we fear they may become perpetrators or victims of political violence.” NCIC Commissioner Jerusah Mwaathime said.
he partners will also develop a Joint Peace and Cohesion Action Framework covering 2026 to 2028.
The NCIC and faith leaders said the coordinated approach would help Kenya identify emerging tensions early, address grievances and strengthen peaceful participation before, during and after the 2027 elections.