MPs push to abolish NCIC over failure to curb hate speech
Members of the National Assembly’s Administration and Internal Security Committee said the NCIC had outlived its usefulness.
Members of Parliament have called for the abolition of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), accusing it of failing to curb the spread of hate speech in the country.
Speaking during a session with Principal Administrative Secretary Anne Ng’etich from the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the 2025 Budget Policy Statement (BPS), members of the National Assembly’s Administration and Internal Security Committee said the NCIC had outlived its usefulness.
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The MPs argue that the commission has not effectively executed its mandate and has threatened to start slashing its budget. They claim that the commission has been lenient on individuals accused of spreading hate speech, failing to take decisive action against offenders.
Committee chairperson and Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo criticised the commission’s handling of hate speech cases, saying it had failed to fulfil its mandate.
“You have to justify the expenditure of public funds allocated to you because you are doing little to ensure peaceful coexistence in the country,” Tongoyo said.
“You summon the people you are investigating, and then the matter ends there. You need to pull up your socks.”
Budget shortfall
NCIC had requested Sh750.5 million for the 2025/26 financial year, but the BPS instead allocated Sh568 million, the same amount it received in the current financial year, creating a shortfall of Sh182.5 million.
Established under the National Cohesion and Integration Act of 2008, the NCIC was created to promote national identity and reconciliation following the 2007 post-election violence, which left more than 1,600 people dead.
The commission’s mandate includes fostering equality, good relations, and peaceful coexistence among ethnic and racial communities, as well as advising the government on cohesion matters.
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma called for the disbandment of the commission, arguing that it had failed to serve its purpose.
“NCIC is an agency that we should remove from the statute books because it is not doing anything useful,” Kaluma said.
He also accused NCIC chairman Rev. Samuel Kobia of making politically charged statements.
“The NCIC chairperson said the impeachment of Gachagua will cause chaos in the country. That is an inflammatory political statement for which he must be held accountable,” he said.
Despite the calls, Saku MP Dido Raso cautioned his colleagues against rushing to abolish the commission.
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“However much we criticise and complain about an institution, we need to look at the policy issues,” Raso said.
Calls for Gachagua to be summoned
The push comes amid demands from some MPs in the Meru region that the NCIC summon former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over alleged inflammatory remarks.
Led by Buuri MP Mugambi Rindikiri and Central Imenti MP Moses Kirima, the MPs demanded that NCIC summon Gachagua to record a statement over his recent remarks. The former Deputy President had reportedly declared that President William Ruto should not be allowed to visit the Meru region if Chief Justice Martha Koome is removed from office.
“The commission should investigate the former DP with a view to prosecuting him. If he is allowed to walk free, he will be the cause of chaos in the Mount Kenya region,” Kirima said.
Rindikiri also condemned Gachagua’s statements against the President.
“If he wants demonstrations, let him take them to Mathira and Wamunyoro first,” he said.
The push to abolish the NCIC and the demands for action against Gachagua have heightened political tensions, as MPs debate the role of the commission in fostering national cohesion.
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