Politicians Account for 49 Percent of Hate Speech Cases on Social Media- NCIC

Politicians account for the highest cases of reported hate speech cases with 49 percent, followed by bloggers with 15 percent and religious leaders with 2 percent. According to research conducted by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), hate speech is the most common type of hate crime in the country.

According to the study, male perpetrators account for 71% of the cases, while female criminals account for 29%.

NCIC revealed this during a session with journalists in Naivasha on Thursday to discuss efficient techniques of monitoring hate speech on social media.

“We implore upon all Kenyans to use social media platforms in peacebuilding through amplifying peaceful voices, countering fake news, hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation,” said Eng. Hon. Phillip Okundi, an NCIC commissioner.

Read: NCIC Unit to Track Down Perpetrators of Hate Speech on Social Media

The journalists were enlightened on matters of hate speech including, identification of the vice, freedom of expression, and its limitations.

James Wanyande, an NCIC Senior Legal officer said one of the biggest challenges the agency faces is the inability to take action on politicians found to be guilty of hate speech.

The commission has been lobbying for an amendment to its Act to have a broader impact but has had limited success due to opposition from lawmakers.

The journalists highlighted limited resources, limited manpower, and social media monitoring as some of the challenges they experienced while dealing with hate speech online

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