The rising political temperature ahead of the 2027 General Election has prompted the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to call for closer monitoring of political rhetoric and early action to prevent tensions from turning into violence.
NCIC Chair Kepha Omae said political messages at rallies, on television and radio programmes, and across social media platforms were becoming increasingly divisive, warning that institutions must act before such rhetoric triggers destructive outcomes.
Speaking during a High-Level National Election Security Roundtable Consultative Forum hosted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Wednesday, Omae said Kenya should focus more on preventing election-related violence than responding after it occurs.
“Our institutions, in my view, must now move with speed to get ahead of the provocative utterances being spilled in rallies and on social media platforms, if we are to curtail the violent and destructive outcomes that we see today,” Omae stated.
He said election security required joint efforts by the IEBC, NCIC, security agencies, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties and other institutions, rather than leaving the responsibility to a single body.
“As much as some of us are independent commissions, there has to be interdependence. You cannot work in isolation. So let us invest as much as we can in what will guarantee peace and stability, security in this process,” he said.
Omae said the NCIC was strengthening its early warning and response systems by keeping track of political messages and conversations, including those shared on WhatsApp, TikTok and other online platforms.
“Let all political actors and Kenyans take note. We will not spare you. We will come and ask you to come and help us to understand why you said what you said,” he said.
The commission wants information gathered by county peace committees and other community structures on possible cohesion risks to be fed into election security hubs and early warning systems. Omae said this would help ensure signs of growing political tension reach authorities early enough for action to be taken.
He also proposed that security officers receive training on hate speech, incitement and ethnic mobilisation as part of the Election Security Arrangement Programme (ESAP).
About 200,000 security personnel are expected to undergo training between November 2026 and May 2027. Omae said the training should prepare officers to identify threats linked to community tensions alongside their normal security duties.
The call comes against the background of Kenya's past election-related violence, where ethnic mobilisation and inflammatory political messages have at times contributed to deadly unrest.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) estimates that about 1,500 people died and more than 600,000 were displaced during the 2007-08 post-election violence. The commission attributed the crisis to ethnic hostility fuelled by hate speech, together with disputes over the presidential election results.
A separate parliamentary report recorded 1,133 deaths, 663,921 displaced people and the destruction of 78,254 houses during the crisis.
The 2017 election period also recorded cases of election-related violence. KNCHR documented 101 deaths, 247 injuries, 37 cases of property damage and 39 cases of incitement. It also recorded 123 cases of election-related sexual and gender-based violence.
Omae pointed to the July 16, 2026 Ol Kalou Constituency by-election as a recent warning of the risks facing the country.
During the campaigns, KNCHR reported cases of voter bribery, intimidation, destruction of property, organised attacks, unlawful night campaigns and gunshots. The commission said one person had died and warned that violence had spread into neighbouring Gilgil Constituency.
Omae said political parties and aspirants should therefore be engaged before the campaign period begins and encouraged to publicly commit themselves to issue-based campaigns instead of politics driven by personalities or ethnic identity.
As part of its preparations, the NCIC is planning an Amani conference that will bring together political leaders and aspirants to discuss peaceful political competition.
The commission also plans to strengthen community peace networks through faith-based groups and civil society organisations while giving young people constructive alternatives to political recruitment.
It further intends to align its cohesion risk assessments with the implementation plan for the Election Security Arrangement Programme and deploy peace-building resources to areas identified as potential hotspots before key electoral activities.
Omae said the measures were aimed at building a coordinated election security framework in which institutions and communities can identify warning signs early and act before political tensions develop into violence.