Oscar Sudi to NCIC: Kwani tibim, vijana fire sio hate speech?

Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi has criticized the National Cohesion and Integration Commission for labeling certain phrases popularly used in campaign rallies as hate speech.

The legislature has accused the commission of partiality by mostly singling out phrases that are mostly used by a particular political faction.

"NCIC, try checking out that which says Tibiim! vijana riaah! vijana fire!...check that out and tell us if that is not hate speech?" Sudi said via a video posted on Twitter.

His tweet went up several hours after NCIC released a list of several phrases in Swahili, English and vernacular which it deemed to be hate speech.

The commission said the phrases, though harmless at face value, contain coded hateful messages.

It said they should not be used in public rallies, social media posts or political talk shows.

They include sipangwingiwi, kama noma ni noma, kama mbaya ni mbaya, kihii, madoadoa, watajua hawajui and uthamaki ni witu and watu wa kurusha mawe.

Vijana tibiim and vijana fire did not feature on the list.

The two catch-phrases are popularly used by political leaders allied to the Azimio la Umoja political movement.

Sipangwingwi, watajua hawajui and watu wa kurusha mawe are mostly used by politicians allied to the United Democratic Movement, UDA.

Sudi is allied to the later political formation led by Deputy President William Ruto.

He wondered why phrases used by their opponents in the Azimio camp were missing on the NCIC red list.

"Mumetuzoea sana. Hiyo hatupangwingwi hamuwezi kutupanga this time...sahau hiyo my friend."

This translates to: "That hatupangwingwi, this time around you are not going to gag us."

Hatupangwingwi is a popular urban lingua that means we cannot be controlled or gagged.

It was adopted by the DP as his signature campaign slogan in a show of defiance to President Uhuru Kenyatta's decision to settle on ODM leader Raila Odinga as his preferred successor. 

Ruto, in adopting the phrase, sought to emphasize that neither him nor his supporters would be forced to support a 'government project'.

While releasing the list of banned phrases, NCIC chairman Samuel Kobia said sipangwingwi is targeted at specific families and communities that have been in power for long, particularly the Luo and Kikuyu.

He said the phrase is mostly used by political aspirants from families or communities that have not been at the center of power in the past.

"This statement is used to underscore the fact that some families or communities have been at the periphery of national leadership and influence for so long and they no longer want to remain out," Kobia said.

Coincidentally, hours after the commission made its stand known about the phrase, the Deputy President released a song by the same title.