Catholic Online Forum

After the 2007-08 election violence, the Kenyan authorities declared their intention to crack down on "hate speech" and ethnically divisive statements. It is widely acknowledged that virulent content in the country's media was responsible for escalating the chaos so rapidly countrywide.

Mobile telephony in particular was singled out as the primary medium used to spread inflammatory messages in the highly charged election atmosphere.

Some of the local FM radio stations broadcasting in vernacular languages were also able to quickly rally communities against each other. One of the four men charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) with inciting violence was a journalist with a local radio station. His trial at The Hague is due to start in April.

A government official recently said that social media including news websites and blogs run by some media houses had became "a cesspit of tribalism and hate mongering".

The official monitoring bodies have issued tight guidelines on communication conduct:

All mobile phone companies are now required to register all SIM cards and allocate unique internet protocol (IP) addresses to all the phones on their networks. Anyone found guilty of fanning hatred through text messages faces a hefty fine of up to $56,000 or three years in jail

If politicians want to send bulk campaign text messages they have to forward their messages to mobile service operators for vetting at least 48 hours before their scheduled dispatch. Mobile operators are allowed to turn down any content they believe could be inciting

Politicians are prohibited from sending unsolicited campaign and mobilisation messages to the public. The Communication Commission of Kenya has also banned the use of any language other than the official languages, English and Swahili, when sending political text messages. There are more than 60 vernacular languages spoken in the country

NCIC monitors attend political rallies and meetings across the country to look out for inflammatory statements. They work alongside the police using recording devices to gather evidence against politicians who engage in inflammatory speech

It is also possible for individuals to report hate speech and other crimes to the police via text message

Kenya cracks down on free speech would be a more accurate headline.

Censorship by any other name no matter how noble the intent.

Do you prefer calling everyone who disagrees with your position a racist, a bigot, an anti-American who can't let go of his guns or God to civility? Seems that's all the "free speech we hear from our campaigner in chief and cohorts.

It is unfortunate that the 'bad' speech comes with the good speech.

Priests across Kenya gave sermons dedicated to peace the day before a national election that some fear could descend into the same violence that engulfed the East African country after the disputed 2007 election.

Campaign rallies have ended, and many in the heavily Christian nation went to their parishes Sunday to pray that tomorrow's vote does not become too polarized along ethnic lines.

The front-runners in this year's election reflect two of these groups: Prime Minister Raila Odinga, an ethnic Luo, is competing with deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, a Kikuyu.

Kenyans have begun voting in an election that observers are describing as the most important in the country's history.

It is the first time a vote has taken place under a new constitution, designed to prevent a repeat of violence that followed the 2007 polls.

More than 1,000 people died when supporters of rival candidates clashed over a contested result.

Security has been stepped up and candidates have appealed for calm.

the immediate cause of the crisis was Kenya's delicate ethnic balance. The incumbent president, Kibaki, is a member of Kenya's largest and probably most powerful ethnic group, the Kikuyu, who total about 22 percent of the population; his rival, Odinga, is a member of the Luo, who comprise some 13 percent of the populace and live predominantly in western Kenya. In their bitter contest, in which Odinga promised to end ethnic favoritism and spread the country's wealth more equitably, ethnicity was the deciding factor, and a marred victory on either side had always been likely to spark violence. Both men are rich, elitist African politicians who have far more in common with each other than they do with their supporters; in their struggle over power, both are using their followers as proxies in a smoldering war. Still, Odinga has a real point about vote tampering; the chief of the E.U. election monitoring mission said that his officials had been turned away from the central vote-counting room in Nairobi, and even Kibaki's hand-picked head of Kenya's electoral commission, Samuel Kivuitu, told reporters that he did "not know whether Kibaki won the election."

Tribalism is responsible for a lot of ills such as underdevelopment, corruption, rigging of elections and violence/civil war. There is also no meritocracy as people are given jobs based on tribe regardless of having low qualifications. Hence the inefficient use of available skills. The exploitation of natural resources also takes a tribal angle, with resources in some areas being ignored or being under utilized. Bad governance and lack of accountability is also linked to tribalism as people will never question a government run by their tribesmen: even if it makes mistakes they remain supportive of it firmly and blindly.The reverse is also true. This means that even if a government does well it will receive daily unnecessary criticism from the tribes not in the ruling party.

Separate machete attacks in which at least 17 people were killed have marred the opening of voting in Kenya's presidential election.

The violence, near the coastal town of Kilifi, has cast a shadow over a vote seen as vital to repairing the country's image after tribal bloodshed five years ago.

The poll was overshadowed by a pre-dawn attack on police in Mombasa which killed several officers hours before Kenyans began casting votes. Joseph Kabiru, is the media officer for the Horn and East of Africa with the UK based Catholic aid agency Cafod. Speaking from Turi an area in the Rift Valley in Kenya, he told Lydia O’Kane that many people have been turning out to vote. “At the station where I voted there was a massive turnout”.

Ghana to marry because they were from different tribes

A row has broken out in Kenya over whether spoiled ballots should be included in the presidential vote count following tightly contested polls.

The coalition of candidate Uhuru Kenyatta accused the UK of playing a "shadowy" role by trying to deny him outright victory in Monday's vote.

Mr Kenyatta, who backed Mr Kibaki, is due to stand trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) next month, accused of organising attacks on members of ethnic groups seen as supporters of Mr Odinga. He denies the charges.