Members of Parliament are pushing for the disbandment of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), citing its failure to curb hate speech in the country.
During a session with Principal Administrative Secretary Anne Ng’etich from the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the 2025 Budget Policy Statement (BPS), lawmakers from the National Assembly’s Administration and Internal Security Committee argued that the commission had outlived its purpose.
The legislators accused NCIC of being ineffective, alleging that it has been lenient on individuals spreading inflammatory remarks and has failed to take concrete action against offenders. They also threatened to reduce its budget allocation.
Committee Chairperson and Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo criticised the commission’s approach, questioning its effectiveness.
“You have to justify the expenditure of public funds allocated to you because you are doing little to ensure peaceful coexistence in the country,” Tongoyo stated.
He further accused the NCIC of summoning individuals for investigations but failing to follow through with decisive action.
Budget Concerns
NCIC had requested KSh 750.5 million for the 2025/26 financial year, but the BPS allocated KSh 568 million, the same amount it received in the current financial year. This created a funding shortfall of KSh 182.5 million.
Established in 2008 under the National Cohesion and Integration Act, the commission was formed to foster unity and reconciliation following the 2007 post-election violence, which resulted in significant loss of life. Its mandate includes promoting peaceful coexistence, equality, and advising the government on matters of national cohesion.
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma called for the agency’s disbandment, arguing that it had failed to fulfil its purpose.
“NCIC is an agency that we should remove from the statute books because it is not doing anything useful,” Kaluma stated.
He also took issue with NCIC chairperson Rev. Samuel Kobia, accusing him of making political statements.
“The NCIC chairperson said the impeachment of Gachagua will cause chaos in the country. That is an inflammatory political statement for which he must be held accountable,” he added.
However, Saku MP Dido Raso urged his colleagues to evaluate policy issues before making any rushed decisions about abolishing the commission.
Calls for Gachagua to be Summoned
Meanwhile, some MPs from Meru County are demanding that NCIC summon former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over alleged inflammatory remarks.
Led by Buuri MP Mugambi Rindikiri and Central Imenti MP Moses Kirima, the lawmakers want Gachagua investigated over his recent statement that President William Ruto should not be allowed to visit Meru if Chief Justice Martha Koome is removed from office.
“The commission should investigate the former DP with a view to prosecuting him. If he is allowed to walk free, he will be the cause of chaos in the Mount Kenya region,” Kirima stated.
Rindikiri also criticised Gachagua’s stance, urging him to reconsider his approach.
“If he wants demonstrations, let him take them to Mathira and Wamunyoro first,” he remarked.
The push to abolish NCIC and the demand for action against Gachagua have intensified political tensions as MPs deliberate on the commission’s relevance in promoting national cohesion.
