Uasin Gishu Peace Actors Raise Alarm Over Hate Speech, Demand Action Against Inciteful Politicians
“We cannot allow political interests to take our country back to the painful experiences of the past,” the statement adds.
PHOTO BY HUBZ MEDIA.
By Robert Mutasi
Concerned citizens and peace stakeholders in Uasin Gishu County have issued a strong statement reaffirming their commitment to peace and unity while raising alarm over recent political utterances that they say threaten to reverse gains made since 2007.
In a joint press statement released on September 1, 2026, under the banner of the Uasin Gishu County Peace Committee, Uasin Gishu County Civil Society Network, Faith Based Organizations and Active Citizens, the groups said Uasin Gishu and the wider Rift Valley have made significant progress in promoting peaceful coexistence and integration.
“We, as concerned citizens and peace-loving residents of Uasin Gishu and Kenya at large, wish to reaffirm our commitment to peace, unity, coexistence, and peaceful political engagement,” the statement reads.
The groups noted that since the 2007 post-election violence, the region has witnessed four peaceful elections, one referendum, and three generations of leadership, demonstrating that communities can live, work and prosper together in peace.
“We must jealously guard these gains,” they said.
The peace actors said they are deeply concerned by recent political utterances in which some politicians have allegedly resorted to insulting and attacking communities living in the Rift Valley. They warned that such statements, political incitement, provocation and hate speech are dangerous and have the potential to create mistrust, divide communities and reverse the peace and integration built over the years.
“We cannot allow political interests to take our country back to the painful experiences of the past,” the statement adds.
The groups issued a six-point call to action to state agencies, political leaders and ordinary Kenyans.
First, they called upon the National Police Service to remain vigilant and take immediate and appropriate action against individuals who incite violence, threaten communities or breach the law through inflammatory political statements.
Second, they urged the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to urgently investigate and address cases of hate speech, ethnic incitement and statements that threaten peaceful coexistence.
Third, they appealed to the National Steering Committee on peace building and conflict management and other relevant government institutions to develop and implement timely peace-building interventions that will engage and educate communities on the importance of protecting peace, cohesion and national unity.
Fourth, they called on political leaders across the country to exercise responsibility and restraint in their public statements, noting that leaders should unite communities rather than divide them and that political competition must never become a platform for ethnic hatred or incitement.
Fifth, they urged all Kenyans, particularly residents of the Rift Valley, to reject messages of hatred, provocation and division and not allow politicians to use communities against one another for political gain.
“The peace we enjoy today has not come by accident. It has been built through dialogue, reconciliation, integration, inter-community relationships, and the determination of ordinary Kenyans to live together,” the groups said.
“Let us protect what we have achieved. Let us remember that no political position is more important than the lives, dignity, and peaceful coexistence of our people.”
The statement concluded with a call for dialogue over confrontation, unity over division and peace over hatred.
“Uasin Gishu has demonstrated that communities can coexist peacefully. Kenya can do the same. Let us continue living together as one people and one nation. Peace is our responsibility. Unity is our strength. Kenya is our home,” it said.
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