“ELIMINATE RAILA ODINGA FOR PEACE!”–  these are the words printed in bold on pamphlets circulating within Nairobi and its environs early this morning, the same message translated in Swahili on the reverse side.

This Kenya Forum correspondent came across one of the pamphlets in a Citi Hopa matatu playing the 46 route and judging from the detailed, top notch design and quality print paper, it’s evident that the rival behind it is ready by all means to ensure that Raila Odinga does not set foot in State House.

Raila’s photo has been well placed on the pamphlet and behind him is a group of young men holding panga’s and a splash of blood runs across the paper. It clearly tarnishes the prime minister’s name and sends the wrong message to Kenyans pitting one section of Kenyans against another.

Politics is a dirty game they say but this has been stretched way too far in the case of the anti-Odinga leaflet.

MONITORING HATE SPEECH

The government has maintained that it’s keen to step up efforts to curb hate speech in the run-up to the March 4 elections which are just 2 days away but little has really been done.

Early last month, The National, Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) announced that it’s using 400 officers to monitor hate speech. “Each and every constituency across the country will be supplied with a police officer in charge of monitoring hate speech. The gadgets we have supplied will be used in recording such speeches, which will serve as evidence in a court of law,” NCIC vice-chair Ms Lwanga said.

Early January, the government announced that it would be monitoring social media and hefty fines of up to KSh1 million (US$11,000), or a three year jail term, would be issued to those who will be caught spreading hate speech on social media.

UMANI

It was then that Kagonya Awori and her web-based monitoring project, Umani, was tasked with monitoring Facebook and Twitter for any hate speech messages that might lead to a repeat of the post election violence witnessed in the country in 2007.

Last week, The Ministry of Information and Communication identified two bloggers it has been pursuing for spreading hate messages on the Internet.

BURN A MOVIE – THROW A PARTY!

The Kenya Forum has been keen on sensitizing Kenyans to maintain peace and harmony in the forth coming elections and as one of our readers posted on our Facebook page, “if you are going to burn anything during the elections, burn a movie, and if you have to throw anything, throw a party”!