NCIC seeks Sh600m to fight hate speech as Gachagua snubs summons

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua addresses faithful at the Gospel Confirmation Centre in Machakos town, on March 2, 2025. [John Muia, Standard]

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has failed to honour summons by the National Integration and Cohesion Commission (NCIC), a House team has been told.

This comes as the NCIC seeks a Sh600 million budgetary increase to monitor and curb hate speech across social media ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Documents tabled before a House team revealed that Gachagua was among six individuals, including Starehe MP Amos Mwago and Webuye West MP Dan Wanyama, accused of hate speech and summoned to appear before the commission since January 2025.

Calvince Okoth, alias Gaucho, has also been accused of hate speech and ethnic discrimination but has yet to appear before the cohesion team.

Gachagua, Wanyama, and Jerotich Kipkoris, alias Marakwet Daughter, who were also accused of hate speech, failed to appear. Only Mwago and Sanjeev Kumar honoured the summons.

A fortnight ago, the commission had censured Gachagua for making inciteful remarks in his political battle with President William Ruto.

The commission is currently handling 53 cases related to hate speech and ethnic contempt. Of these, 32 are under active investigation, with Gachagua, MPs Wanyama (Webuye West) and Benard Kitur (Nandi Hills), as well as MCA Joan Kirong (Kipkateny Ward), at the centre.

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security, the commission warned of rising political tensions ahead of the 2027 General Election, stressing the need for additional funding to curb escalating hate speech and ethnic contempt.

Chief Executive Officer Humphrey Kariuki highlighted that in the current financial year, NCIC had been allocated a Sh567 million budget.

With additional funding, he said, the commission would accelerate hate speech investigations across all platforms, including digital spaces, and launch new sensitisation campaigns to de-escalate political polarisation and ethnic intolerance.

Commissioner Abdulaziz Ali Farah lamented the NCIC’s budgetary constraints, noting that they hinder its ability to fully implement its mandate.

“The country is already in a campaign mood, and we need a unified approach to contain hate speech ahead of the elections. We are currently funded mainly for office operations, including salaries and rent, rather than for implementing our mandate,” stated Farah.

Commissioner Danvas Makori, while revealing that the commission was developing an open-source software to monitor and address rising hate speech online, reinforced the need for additional funding.

“There is a perception that NCIC is ineffective and should be abolished, yet we have achieved a lot despite our challenges. We urge the committee to fund us so we can conduct preventive work and help de-escalate conflicts,” he said.

While the House team supported the plea for increased budgetary allocations, it also criticised the commission for being “toothless” and ineffective in executing its mandate.