NCIC warns politicians against recruiting youth to attack opponents ahead of 2027

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has cautioned political figures against enlisting, funding, or mobilizing young Kenyans to confront opponents prior to the 2027 General Election. This warning was issued by NCIC Chairperson Bishop Dr. Kepha Nyamweya Omae on Monday, September 21, 2026. Omae urged politicians to preserve peace and prevent political rivalries from turning young people into instruments of violence.

He emphasized that young people should be provided genuine prospects to engage in democracy rather than being recruited, funded, or deployed to assault opponents. Omae acknowledged Kenya's advancements in establishing a culture of peaceful elections but cautioned that ethnic mobilization, hate speech, political intolerance, misinformation, and violence persisted as concerns.

To guide civic education, conflict prevention, early warning, early response, peace communication, stakeholder engagement, and hate speech management, the commission has released the second edition of its Roadmap to Violence-Free Elections, known as Uchaguzi Bila Noma. This roadmap was unveiled in August as part of preparations for the 2027 election.

Omae stated that NCIC is collaborating with communities, national and county governments, political leaders, civil society, faith-based organizations, the media, young people, and women to tackle grievances before they escalate into conflicts. The commission has established over 1,000 Amani Clubs in schools to foster peace, diversity, tolerance, dialogue, and responsible citizenship.

Omae urged politicians to campaign on matters impacting Kenyans, such as unemployment, living expenses, health, education, housing, security, and development. He emphasized that political differences are commonplace in a democracy, but violence is not. Additionally, NCIC solicited media organizations and digital content creators to authenticate information before publishing and refrain from amplifying messages intended to provoke communities against each other.

The commission also called on religious leaders, elders, community leaders, and civil society organizations to encourage dialogue, tolerance, and responsible citizenship.