The Kenyan government will petition Facebook and Twitter in a bid to uncover the identities of those perpetuating hate speech in Kenya.
Permanent secretary for the Ministry of Information and Communication Dr Bitange Ndemo said the government will pursue the hate mongers vehemently.
He said it was hard to get the details of some of the culprits without the help of the social media owners.
This comes a day after NTV highlighted the growing trend of hate speech and tribalism on social media. The shocking statements from Kenyans against other tribes have been denounced by many, but yet still thrive.
“We raise the red flag on what can just be described as the audacity of tribalism by a section of Kenyans who have taken breathtaking ethnic hatred to the internet,” NTV said.
“The social media is awash with hate speech with Kenyans using unprintable words against fellow countrymen and women all in the name of politics. We take the bold and unapologetic step to unmask these shameless elements, some of them – indeed a good number of them – in the Diaspora.”
The station also faulted Mzalendo Kibunja, who chairs the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, mandated to fight hate speech in its all forms.
A day after the television station highlighted the problem, most of those mentioned put up apologetic updates, owning up to their mistakes.
The rise in the posting of hate messages comes after the just concluded general election, which is being disputed in court.
