The Senate Standing Committee on National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration on Monday questioned two key state agencies over rising inflammatory utterances, integrity issues, and the state of national cohesion ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) appeared before the committee at the Mini Chamber in County Hall.
The session was chaired by Marsabit Senator Mohammed Said Chute.
KNCHR, led by CEO Bernard Mogesa, presented its position on national cohesion and actions taken to curb inflammatory remarks.
Senators expressed concern over what they described as a spike in incitement on social media and at political and religious gatherings.
Nominated Senator Catherine Mumma questioned the agency’s commitment to stemming hate speech ahead of the polls. She cited repeated cases of inflammatory comments by public figures.
“We have read, not once, twice, but several times, leaders making utterances that are very much inflammatory on social media, in rallies, and even in churches. What is the commission doing to put this to an end, given the election period we are heading into?” she asked.
Mogesa said KNCHR had submitted several cases to court in a bid to hold offenders accountable.
The committee, however, pressed him to name senior government officials who had faced prosecution for hate speech.
The Chair advised the commission to seek private legal support if government lawyers lacked sufficient authority to act.
The NCIC, led by CEO Daniel Mutegi, also faced scrutiny over its handling of incitement by influential personalities.
Senators sought clarity on the commission’s monitoring of social media platforms and mechanisms to deter hate speech.
Mutegi said the NCIC had intensified investigations and summoned leaders accused of spreading divisive remarks.
He noted that since the 2022 elections, the agency had put in place systems to monitor mainstream and social media as well as public forums, enabling it to flag hate speech, ethnic contempt, and incitement to violence.
The session later shifted to integrity questions following NCIC’s recent recruitment of 22 staff members. Senators said the hiring was conducted without public advertisement, terming the process unlawful.
Mutegi struggled to respond to several questions, including why the commission exceeded its initial plan to recruit 20 officers.
He told the committee that internal resolutions expanded the number to 22.
The Chair insisted that the CEO provide documentation to support the claim.
Contradictions between the CEO and the commission’s HR department raised further concerns.
The committee directed that NCIC commissioners appear on Tuesday, 18 November, to explain the disputed recruitment. It also ordered the CEO to cancel the newly issued contracts, citing illegality.
The Chair reminded the NCIC leadership to uphold integrity as required under Article 6 of the Constitution and warned Dr. Mutegi against yielding to external pressure, saying he would be held personally accountable if wrongdoing was established.
Senators Daniel Maanzo (Makueni), Beth Syengo (Nominated), and Betty Montet (Nominated) also attended the session.
