The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) and the Media Council of Kenya have announced a plan to take on political analysts found to be propagating hate messages and raising ethnic tensions.
According to a joint statement released by the bodies on Sunday, the bodies stated that they were in constant communication with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and other relevant bodies to ensure rogue analysts face prosecution in line with the law.
"We will not allow analysts to hide behind freedom of expression to heat up political temperatures in the country. We, therefore, appeal to the media to blackout hate mongers and tame charlatans and quacks masquerading as political analysts who frequent media houses to preach despondency and tribal politics," part of the statement reads.
The Kenyan public has also been urged to desist from using social media platforms to disseminate tribal hate and incitement.
They stated that a code of ethics for both bodies bars media houses from airing content that invokes feelings of contempt, hatred, violence or inflammatory statements encouraging people to rise against social order.
The declaration comes as a stand-off persists between Jubilee and the National Super Alliance(NASA) ahead of the fresh Presidential election on October 26th.
Jubilee is pushing for changes to Kenya's electoral laws, that may among other things disempower the Independent Electoral and Boundaries (IEBC) Chairperson by opening avenues for other commissioners to make key decisions, allow state officers to campaign and put in place a manual transmission system whose results are considered final.
NASA has announced countrywide demonstrations every Monday and Friday to push for their 'Irreducible Minimum' demands for electoral reforms to be met.
Among other things, they are calling for the resignation of IEBC CEO Ezra Chiloba and the blacklisting of French technology provider IDEMIA (formerly OT-Morpho) and Dubai-based printing firm Al Ghurair.
