The government has announced a crackdown on social media users over attacks aimed at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and its staff members.
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) chairperson, Samuel Kobia, on Tuesday, July 5, stated that social media users found discrediting the electoral Commission ahead of the August 9 polls will be fined or jailed if found guilty.
Kobia noted that NCIC is committed to cracking down on the individuals who will be found running a smear campaign on the electoral body.
“Individuals running accounts that participate in campaigns aimed at discrediting institutions such as the IEBC, using disinformation and propaganda to be identified and prosecuted,” Kobia warned.
He stated that there is a smear campaign against IEBC on social media and is one of the roadblocks to peace as they lead to apathetic citizens who are more likely to be incited to violence.
“This method aims to project the IEBC as incompetent, thus sowing doubt in citizens’ perception on the ability of the IEBC to deliver credible results they can believe in,” the NCIC chairperson stated.
“The campaign to discredit the IEBC was well coordinated on Twitter, with evidence of artificial amplification of this message using manipulated/ photoshopped images and bot account."
Kobia further disclosed that the Commission has noticed instances of heightened tension in the country.
In March 2022, NCIC announced a crackdown against 36 bloggers accused of making remarks bordering hate speech and incitement.
Kobia confirmed that the Commission was going after the 36 affiliated with political coalitions over allegations of coordinating attacks orchestrated by the Azimio La Umoja coalition and the Kenya Kwanza alliance.
“The 36 are closely being monitored and the Commission is currently investigating them with the aim of ensuring that they will be arraigned in court,” Kobia stated.
He added that the Commission had presented 9 cases to court while 27 others were still under investigations.
He pointed out that the tension was being fuelled by “hate speech and ethnic contempt with politicians inflaming ethnic passions through public statements and social media posts have been on the rise”.
