The judiciary will set up special courts to deal with cases of hate speech as electioneering year fast approaches.
Speaking in Nairobi during a meeting with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) leaders and different government stakeholders, Chief Justice Martha Koome said the courts will be set up in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret, and Kisumu.
“We are concerned about issues of hate speech. I’m going to put this forward to the leadership committee of the judiciary of a request to set up a specialized court to deal with cases of hate speech,” said CJ Koome.
Read: CS Mucheru Asks Youth to Avoid Using Digitization to Spread Hate Speech
The president of the Supreme Court also noted that the courts will be set up in other areas.
“If need be, we will identify other hotspots we will operationalize accords in those hotspots to deal with hate speech so that they are handled expeditiously and according to the law,” she added.
The judiciary, she said, is working towards supporting the police as cases of gender based violence rise.
Read Also: NCIC Unit to Track Down Perpetrators of Hate Speech on Social Media
“We are also concerned about the escalating cases of sexual and gender-based violence across the country and we note what the police is doing and we will continue to support the police and also to talk to Kenyans and ask them to bear agency of their own behavior,” she said.
“The National Crime Information Center has a big role to play in terms of public education on the need for Kenyans to build peace among themselves.”
Also in attendance was Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru, Attorney General Kihara Kariuki, among others.
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