AIDE MEMOIR FROM THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES OF KENYA DURING A MEETING WITH THE NATIONAL COHESION AND INTEGRATION COMMISSION ON JULY 7, 2026 WITH REGARD TO STATE OF THE NATION
Honourable Chairman,
Bishop Dr Kepha Nyamweya Omae, we congratulate you on your appointment to serve as the Chairperson of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission for the next six years. We also heartily congratulate Commissioners Josephine Kirion Eragae, Joseph K. Nguyo, Jackson Swadi Kedogo, Dr. Samuel Mwachiro Mwawasi, Irene Chepoisho Tulel, Hassan Billow Ahmed, and Jerusah Mwaathime Michael. Your appointment is a testament to the relevance of your experience to achieving the mandate of the NCIC. We are confident that with your dedication and the prayers of Kenyans, you will succeed. Our prayers for you are always that God will grant you to live out and promote the inspiration of God in Matthew 5: 9
Blesse are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
It is in the light of this scripture, Honourable Chairman, that we appreciate this opportunity to have this consultation with you.
- Mandate of the NCIC
Honourable Chairman,
The NCIC was established under the National Cohesion and Integration Act (Cap 7N) with broad mandate being to promote and facilitate equality of opportunity, good relations, harmony and peaceful co-existence between persons of different ethnic and racial communities in Kenya. Under this mandate, we take note of 5 core functions that the Commission undertakes, these being:
- Promoting elimination of discrimination
- Discouraging individuals, institutions, political parties and associations from promoting discrimination
- Promoting tolerance, understanding and acceptance of diversity of all communities
- Promoting peace, harmony and education and public awareness among ethnic and racial communities
- Supporting dispute resolution, investigations, policy advice and equal access to public services
This mandate is very critical in the life and wellbeing of the nation, and it is our prayer that you will carry it out effectively, with grace and success.
- Study on the Influence of Money and Religion on Democratic Outcomes in Kenya
Honourable Chairman,
The NCCK late last month launched the report of the Study on the Influence of Money and Religion on Democratic Outcomes in Kenya after a study we conducted earlier this year.
From the study, we found that the money, religion, coercion and violence are weakening Kenya’s democratic outcomes by distorting citizen choices and public accountability. Quite notably, money is presented as the dominant driver of politics, determining who can run, who gets to win, and whose interests are served after the elections. Campaigns are therefore treated as investments that are to be recovered after the elections, driving high stakes in the polls. This has led to adoption of coercive practices that include voter bribery, intimidation, mobilization of goons, misuse of state and security machinery, and capture of state institutions to undermine free participation. The study report indicates that campaign financing, institutional independence, peacebuilding, cohesion and information integrity must be strengthened to avoid a situation where the 2027 elections cycle deepens polarization, violence, mistrust and democratic decline. On their part, religious institutions were found to be highly trusted and potentially influential to deliver civic engagement and moral guidance. However, religious institutions are increasingly vulnerable to politicized donations, pulpit capture and apparent partisanship.
We are pleased to share with you a copy of the Report, along with the related publications that include a popular version of the report, Sermon Guides on the issues raised in the report, and Guidelines for Ministering to Political Actors.
- Challenge of Incumbency Elections
Honourable Chairman,
Kenya’s 14th General Elections are scheduled to be held on August 10, 2027, a mere 13 months away. What stands out as a major concern is that these are incumbency elections in which a sitting President is seeking re-election. Traditionally, incumbency elections have been marked by intense polarisation, heavy electioneering, and violence before, during and after the polls, as was the case in 1992, 1997, 2007 and 2017. If this trend holds, then we can expect the 2027 elections to potentially be brutally violent. But must this be the case? Can we not as a nation take necessary steps to pre-empt violence by safeguarding cohesion and peace for genuine democratic outcomes?
- Key Concerns on National Cohesion and Integration and Peace
Honourable Chairman,
It is in this context then that we highlight the following concerns for consideration by your honourable Commission.
- Hate Speech, Incitement and Inflammatory Language
Across the country, respondents decried intensifying use of inflammatory language, divisive rhetoric, hate speech, nuanced incitement and breeding of ethnic hostility by politicians. The use of coded language is perpetuating an “us vs them” narrative by actors on all political sides. What remains a concern for the people is that the NCIC does not seem to be acting on the suspected perpetrators in a balanced manner. Public impression continues to grow that the NCIC only summons political actors if the public makes noise, and then the cases are never heard of again. This sentiment has been at the core of accusations that the NCIC is ineffective on its mandate to protect cohesion and tolerance.
To remedy this situation, Honourable Chairman, we recommend that the Commission sets up an elections-period hate speech and incitement monitoring and rapid response mechanism. Such a mechanism, that would include other stakeholders, would cover public rallies, vernacular media outlets, social media and socio-religious gatherings, and would be an effective early warning system. Offenders would be summoned, regardless of their political parties or positions, and be prosecuted where evidence is available. We assure you of our readiness to partner with you in the establishment of such a monitoring mechanism.
- Ethnic Polarisation and Identity-Based Political Mobilisation
Separate from hate speech, Honourable Chairman, is the continued shaping of politics through ethnic blocs. Informal networks engage in elite bargaining premised on political leaders mobilizing communities through ethnic or clan identity and patronage then using them as bargaining chips. This trend is hardening political competition, converting interests of the elite into community-versus-community narratives. Have we come to a time when frequent use of phrases like “Watu wa Mlima”, “Watu wa Lake”, “Watu wa Coast” can be considered ethnic profiling and therefore investigated and censure by the NCIC?
We recommend that the NCIC initiates a campaign to de-ethnicise politics by engaging religious and community leaders to publicly reject ethnic bloc mobilisation. If religious and community leaders across the board speak against political leaders from their communities who drive “us-versus-them” narratives, then the polarisation will be curtailed effectively. Our church leaders and facilities are open to this partnership with the NCIC.
- Electoral Violence Goonism and Intimidation
Goonism, which has emerged as a major threat to peace and cohesion in the country, is regrettably not a new phenomenon in the country. At different times, governments of the day have been accused of organizing and deploying youth groups to carry out activities that the Police would not carry out without international outcry. Such activities include disrupting meetings of opponents, intimidating voters, and causing general mayhem. The fact that such goons get recorded on camera being escorted by police drives the notion that they were hired by government officials. In previous incumbency elections, such are the groups that have been used to cause violence.
A concern for us, Honourable Chairman, is that after the elections, these groups turn into criminal outfits as they face challenges re-integrating into the community. Many have been systematically killed by police during security operations.
We recommend that the NCIC strengthens and works with community level peace committees, which would include religious leaders, so as to have an infrastructure that would diffuse mobilisations of gangs and also identify the financiers. NCIC would then have the information necessary to have them prosecuted for inciting violence. We in the NCCK are willing to partner with the NCIC in this venture.
- Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda
Political content generated with artificial intelligence, social media trolling and trending of false information are a major threat to social cohesion and democracy. An emerging reality for Kenyans is that the believability and confidence in the mainstream media is ebbing, leaving many to depend on social media for updates and information. This however is a major challenge due to the inability of many, including the youth, to distinguish between fake AI generated content and real content. Further, the disinformation has been integrated into Whatsapp where trust levels are higher. The result is a cauldron where hate speech, polarising content and emotional manipulation are passed through the trusted channels of information.
We urge the NCIC to establish and decentralize Fact Checking structures focused on debunking cohesion-threatening narratives and content passed through social media channels. This will give Kenyans a one-stop truth shop where any person can check whether any message they receive has been flagged as false or inflammatory. The NCCK clergy and structures are available to be voices of truth in this war against violence-provoking propaganda.
- Institutional Capture and Weak Public Confidence in Oversight Bodies
Whereas the NCIC was established in 2009, the Constitution of Kenya 2010 established other independent commissions and offices. The goal of these institutions has been to safeguard the rights, freedoms and peace of Kenyans. It is therefore a major concern for Kenyans that in the minds of the people, these independent institutions have been captured and compromised by the state. The accusations of ineffectiveness arise from the perceived loss of independence and credibility of the NCIC and other institutions.
We strongly recommend that you endeavour to present NCIC as a visibly independent and even-handed enforcer of the mandate to promote equality of opportunity, harmony and peaceful co-existence in Kenya. It would be prudent on your part to publish clear election-cycle cohesion protocols with simple to use incident reporting mechanism with a commitment to timely public communication of outcomes. This will facilitate equal application of the law across political divides, thereby marking NCIC as neutral.
On our part, we are ready to partner with the NCIC in setting up a National Cohesion Barometer in which a joint structure evaluates reports from the different counties and takes appropriate measures to mitigate potential threats.
- Peace Pledge
Honourable Chairman,
A major learning from the past elections engagements is that political and community leaders on the main endeavour to abide with commitments they make in public. We strongly encourage that the NCIC develops a Peace Pledge campaign in which all aspirants will be asked to publicly sign commitments to keep peace before, during and after elections. Religious leaders will be glad to witness the signing of the pledges and hold those who sign accountable to their commitments.
- Our Commitment
On our part, Honourable Chairman, we assure you of our commitment to continue working for peace and cohesion in the nation. We are working with partners under the Kenya Religious Leaders Forum (KRLF) to engage political leaders and champion peaceful, transparent, and credible 2027 elections. We are convening regular national and county Stakeholder Conferences and setting up a National Peade and Mediation Team.
- Conclusion
In conclusion, we commend you Honourable Chairman and Commissioners on your appointment to the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC). We encourage you to enforce the NCI Act without fear or favour, partnering with faith and other institutions. Do not allow yourselves to be seen as a toothless dog by hiding behind the excuse of lack of a legal framework. We assure you of our readiness to partner with you for a better nation, always remembering the inspiration God has given us in Romans 14: 19
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
This remains our commitment to building a better nation.
Once again, Honourable Chairman, we thank you for the opportunity to meet with you.
May God bless you now and always
Signed on this 7th day of July 2026
Rev Dr Elias Otieno Agola
CHAIRMAN
Rev Canon Chris Kinyanjui
GENERAL SECRETARY
