Isiolo politicians warned over hate speech

Isiolo County Commissioner Geoffrey Omoding has warned politicians seeking elective seats against making inflammatory utterances during campaigns and asked them to preach peace.

Saying there was adequate security, Mr Omoding said his team was monitoring politicians’ statements during campaigns and on their social media platforms to curb hate speech.

“We are working with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to monitor political utterances on physical and social platforms to ensure we have peaceful elections,” he said.

Launching a national peace walk called Elections bila Noma (elections without violence), Mr Omoding said they had assigned some of their officers to track political meetings for possible incitement so that prompt action could be taken against culprits.

He said his office and that of the electoral agency would engage all politicians in a series of meetings to ensure they strictly adhere to guidelines on maintaining peace.

“We will not allow any politician to disrupt the peace our county is enjoying,” said Mr Omoding, who was with county police boss Hassan Barua and his criminal investigations counterpart Betty Chepng’eno.

Mr Omoding led the county security team, residents and civil society groups in a two-kilometre peace walk from his office to the Isiolo International Airport junction.

Isiolo North MP contender Osman Shariff Abukar (Chama Cha Kazi) committed to engaging in peaceful campaigns and asked his competitors to follow suit.

“Elections will come and go but we will remain brothers and sisters. There is no need to fight one another over a politician or for subscribing to different ideologies,” Mr Shariff said and asked youths to shun being misused to cause chaos during campaign rallies.

All aspirants, he said, must exercise tolerance, shun name-calling and engage in issue-based politics.

Mr Omoding dismissed earlier reports by the NCIC that Isiolo was among counties at high risk of electoral violence, saying the region was safe.

Clerics Ahmed Sett and Stephen Kalunyu stressed the need for politicians to engage in issue-based politics and promised to continue preaching peace in churches and mosques.

“Let us all work together towards ensuring there is peace before, during and after elections,” said Mr Sett, the National Council of Elders treasurer.