Politicians who spew hatred and incite violence will not be granted visas to travel abroad, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has said.
NCIC chairman Samuel Kobia on Tuesday at the Bomas of Kenya said he has spoken with 15 envoys on the issue.
This, he said, is the only way to tame Kenyan politics with a penchant for hate speech.
“If we don’t give them visas, then they will behave. More so, those who incite violence should not be allowed to go to Europe or North America.. this will ensure that they stop behaving the way they do,” he said.
NCIC is preparing a list of shame according to Kobia. Surprisingly, some of the politicians who have been summoned by the commission have pleaded for leniency saying naming them as hate mongers is detrimental for their political careers.
“Some pleaded saying they hope their name won’t be in the list of shame. This has made hate speech go down. These politicians don’t want their friends to know that they are on the list,” he said.
Kobia pledged that the commission will ensure peace prevails in the forthcoming 2022 elections.
Instances of political violence have been reported in Marsabit, West Pokot and Turkana counties lately.
NCIC has put together a team and mechanisms that will reign in on hatemongers as the elections draw closer.
