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Kenya

Calls to arrest Kenyan minister for hate speech

In Kenya, the country’s National Cohesion and Integration Commission has expressed concern over the authorities' failure to arrest and prosecute a prominent politician for hate speech.

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Newly-appointed Trade Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere is alleged to have made a hate speech during political campaigns in a recent by-election that saw him recapture his Matuga parliamentary seat in Kenya’s Coast province.

The call for Mwakwere’s prosecution was made by the vice-chairperson of the commission, Mary Onyango, at a press conference in Nairobi on Wednesday.

"We wish to confirm that a number of complaints have been presented to us concerning the conduct of Chirau Ali Mwakwere. We referred the matter, together with the evidence gathered, to the police, proposing arrest and prosecution," Onyango said.

She added that the commission was "disappointed" the authorities had not already acted on its advice to prosecute Mwakwere.

It remains to be seen whether they will take action now.

The call to prosecute Mwakwere comes nearly two months after Assistant Roads Minister Wilfred Machage and MPs Fred Kapondi and Joshua Kutuny appeared in a Nairobi court on charges of making hate speeches.

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