Moderate language during polls campaigns

Religious leaders have raised the red flag over the provocative language used by politicians to drum up support for their parties ahead of the August 8 General Elections. The warning comes at a time when incidents of violence have been escalating in some regions as politicians jockey for positions even before party primaries which start in about a week’s time.

It is quite clear that not enough is being done to compel politicians to moderate their language during campaigns and steer clear of topics that are likely to inflame passions. This includes finger-pointing over who was responsible for the violence that almost destroyed the country after the 2007 elections. The claim by President Uhuru Kenyatta that CORD leader Raila Odinga was responsible is unfortunate and regrettable.

Because of the position that he holds as Head of State, Mr Kenyatta must be the moderating influence on Kenyans and be the bridge that unifies all citizens, irrespective of political affiliation. It is regrettable that some politicians have picked the cue and made statements that only help to stoke fires of political violence.

The next few weeks are expected to be particularly tense as political parties pick their representative during their nominations. With thousands of politicians expected to run for Parliament even as hundreds more are running for the senate or the governorship, stakes have never been so high. The level of competition rises exponentially when about 40,000 people throw their hats in the ring to seek election as ward representatives after these nominations. This is bound to create tension to a scale that has never been seen before in our elections cycle.

We must defuse these tensions now. Sensitisation campaigns must begin now to ensure that electioneering is conducted peacefully. In the coming months, we all must play a role in ensuring that provocations that can result in violence are minimised.

And to complement these efforts, State agencies that are mandated to monitor speeches by politicians must demonstrate that they are more proactive in holding rabble rousers to account.

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has often been accused of not acting decisively enough to deal with perpetrators of hate speech. This commission will be doing to disservice to Kenyans if those who incite others are allowed to get away with it.