A leading vernacular radio station affiliated with President Uhuru Kenyatta has been linked to spreading of hate speech ahead of August polls, reports the Star.
This is according to a report released by the Election Observation Group Media Monitoring Unit.
Between the months of May and June, 28 cases of hate speech and use of inflammatory language were recorded.
Leo Mutisya who is leading the initiative noted that of all the cases recorded, presenters at Kameme Station have been found to have spread hate messages.
“A number of reported perpetrators were radio presenters, and Kameme FM was in the lead, with a number of incidents recorded against it, including one where they castigated, stereotyped and even played mocking songs against Koigi Wamwere for his political decision to switch political allegiance,” Mutisya said.
The unit has a sole mandate to asses spread, degree and substance of hatespeech and inflammatory language in TV, radio and newspapers.
Currently, the unit is monitoring 5 leading TV stations, 13 radio stations including 4 which are county-based and four local dailies.
Mutisya also said Kass FM which was accused of propagating hatespeech in the run up to 2007 polls had zero incidences of the vice.
Radio journalist Joshua Sang, working with Kass FM at the time was accused of using the platform to fan violence and had been facing charges the ICC until the cases were thrown out last year.
This comes even as NCIC steps up its game to tame lose tongues.
Through collaboration with the police, NCIC has provided recording gadgets in effort to collect irrefutable evidence of hatespeech and have the perpetrators charged in court.
Just last week, DCI boss Ndegwa Muhoro issued a directive to his officers that they should arrest anyone spread hate or inciting people on the spot regardless of his social status.