Mombasa,KENYA:The National Cohesion and Integration Commission is increasing hate speech monitors to reduce reliance on media footage to prosecute incitement suspects.
This is according to the CEO Hassan Sheikh Mohamed, who on Monday said that they had teamed up with security agents to ensure they collect enough evidence.
“The police have also been given instructions, we do not want to hear a certain politician had a certain meeting where he incited others and that’s when we start looking for the footage.” Hassan said.
In the past, cases of incitement against several politicians have been dismissed by courts on the basis of lack of evidence as media footage cannot be used as evidence,since the devices used to record have not been authorized by the commission.
Hassan was speaking during the opening of a two day training by the commission on youth leaders in the county at the Royal court hotel in Mombasa.
Hassan also said that the commission was in the process of strengthening officers in their secretariat in three levels, to include the Director of public prosecution and the National police chair in the first secretariat.
The commission is conducting countrywide trainings on youth leaders to promote cohesion and intergration.
The opening was also attended by several leaders who included the Mombasa county commissioner Evans Achoki and his deputy Mohamoud Salim.
Achoki said they were cracking down on those inciting others on social media.
“It is of no use writing messages meant to instill fear on others ..We will conduct a crackdown and bring them to book” Achoki said.
Achoki’s remarks comes just a month after a woman from Likoni was arraigned in court over sending an inciting message to a whatsapp group warning members of the GEMA community to leave Likoni area after the polls.
The whatsapp admin of the group ‘sauti ya vijana ‘ had earlier been summoned before the arrest was made.
Mombasa county had been earlier marked as a potential hotspot center by the commission in June.
