NAIROBI, Kenya — The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has proposed real-time monitoring of political rhetoric and hate speech as part of efforts to detect and contain emerging political and ethnic tensions ahead of Kenya’s 2027 General Election.
NCIC Chairman Kepha Omae said political messages circulating at rallies and across social media platforms should be monitored more closely as political activity intensifies, allowing authorities to identify warning signs before tensions escalate into violence.
Omae spoke on Wednesday during a High-Level National Election Security Roundtable Consultative Forum hosted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“Our institutions, in my view, must now move with speed to get ahead of the provocative utterances being spilt in rallies and on social media platforms,” Omae said.
He said prevention should be prioritised rather than waiting for political or ethnic tensions to develop into security incidents.
NCIC to strengthen early warning systems
Omae said NCIC was strengthening its early warning and response mechanisms by tracking political messages and conversations across online platforms, including WhatsApp and TikTok.
The commission also wants information collected by county peace committees and other community-based structures to be integrated into election security hubs and early warning systems.
According to Omae, linking information from communities with national security structures would enable authorities to receive alerts about rising tensions early enough to take preventive measures.
The proposal comes as political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections is expected to intensify, with parties and political leaders increasingly engaging voters through rallies, traditional media and digital platforms.
200,000 security officers targeted for training
NCIC has also proposed training security officers on hate speech, incitement and ethnic mobilisation under the Election Security Arrangement Programme (ESAP).
About 200,000 security personnel are expected to undergo training between November 2026 and May 2027.
Omae said NCIC would contribute content on cohesion-related threats to the election security training materials, with the aim of helping security officers recognise and respond appropriately to speech and activities that could contribute to political or ethnic violence.
The commission also plans to work with the Media Council of Kenya, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ cybercrime unit and other agencies to monitor political rhetoric across rallies, radio and social media.
NCIC calls for coordinated election security
Omae said election security should not be treated as the responsibility of a single institution.
He called for closer coordination between the IEBC, NCIC, security agencies, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties and other stakeholders involved in preparations for the 2027 election.
“As much as some of us are independent commissions, there has to be interdependence. You cannot work in isolation,” he said.
The proposed coordination framework would allow different institutions to share information and respond collectively to emerging cohesion and security risks.
Political parties to be engaged before campaigns
NCIC also plans to engage political parties and prospective candidates before the formal campaign period begins.
The commission intends to convene an Amani conference, where political leaders will be encouraged to commit themselves to issue-based politics rather than personality-driven or ethnic mobilisation.
The initiative is intended to promote political competition based on policies and development priorities while discouraging rhetoric that could deepen ethnic divisions.
NCIC said it would also strengthen community peace networks and provide young people with alternatives to political recruitment.
