The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) camped in Garissa County, meeting with various stakeholders, including county government officials, security officers, peace elders, and religious leaders, to find a permanent solution to inter-clan clashes.
The retaliatory attacks that have been going on for the last one month have so far claimed the lives of 13 people, among them six students who were shot dead aboard a probox at Kunaso area on their way to the border town of Holugho.
NCIC has also cautioned citizens against spreading hate speech on social media, noting that individuals who post hate messages on their platform will be immediately arrested and charged in court.
This, they will do with the help of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and Wananchi, who have been advised to forward the hate messages on social media to the commission for action to be taken.
NCIC Commissioner Abdiaziz Farah said that once they get evidence, either in the form of videos or screenshots, they will act swiftly and bring the hatemongers to book.
Speaking to the press at a government guest house in Garissa after a meeting with religious leaders, he disclosed that investigations were going on to ascertain if the allegations that some people were funding the clashes from abroad were true.
“We are aware that there is a lot of hate speech that is being spewed on social media. This is not only being done by people in Garissa but also by people who are outside the country. We have also been told that some are sending money from outside this country to fund this problem,” Farah said.
On his part, Commissioner Danvas Makori said that they will work with the security apparatus, the National Land Commission, and the county government to sort out the issue, calling for calm from residents.
Makori further said that they are going to work with social media companies to help in pulling down hate messages on their sites.
“We will work with the telecommunication agencies to pull down the clips that are spinning hate,” he said.
Religious leaders who spoke during the meeting alleged that land was the main cause of the conflicts in Garissa and called on the county government to move with speed in planning the town.
Already, the county government has banned all mining activities and land subdivisions or sales indefinitely.
By Erick Kyalo
