Watch your tongues or you will be arrested, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission has cautioned politicians attending Saturday's BBI rally in Mombasa.
NCIC chairman Samuel Kobia on Friday said their agents will pounce on politicians who incite the public.
Kobia said the rallies have the potential of polarising the country and splitting it into camps through inciteful and inflammatory speeches, thereby defeating the objective of the handshake – bringing the country together.
"We are concerned politicians are increasingly becoming reckless with their remarks on issues surrounding the BBI. The rallies should allow the people to articulate their views without being incited," he said.
NCIC is currently handling 33 cases of hate speech. It has promised to be more assertive in dealing with inciters.
Kobia, who spoke at their headquarters in the company of other commissioners, commended politicians previously opposed to the BBI initiative for abandoning their hardline stance and opting to join the rallies.
"We are happy politicians opposed to the process have joined up. We have only seen the rallies as one-sided. This move will ensure unity, which is the main objective of this process," he said.
Politicians were however cautioned not to hijack the process to advance selfish political and personal interests.
The process must be people-driven, Kobia said. "No one particular person or group should claim exclusive ownership of the BBI. It must be people-driven."
The commission said it will take a leading role in championing the national ethos expounded by BBI – responsibilities and rights of citizens, dealing with ethnic antagonisms and competition and exclusivity.
The four make the core of NCIC mandate, the commissioners said.
