Lead image for Don't wait for elections to unite Kenyans, Wetang'ula tells NCIC.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has urged the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to reinvent itself and regain public confidence, saying its work should not be confined to election seasons.
He said the commission was created to heal divisions exposed by the 2007/08 post-election violence but has struggled to convince Kenyans that it is effectively delivering on that mandate.
"NCIC suffers from serious trust issues. It was established to bridge political divisions and should not only become visible when the country is heading to an election," Mr Wetang'ula said.
The speaker was addressing NCIC commissioners led by chairman Bishop Kepha Omae at Parliament Buildings. Mr Wetang'ula said the commission should invest more in civic education, arguing that changing attitudes is the surest way of building lasting national cohesion.
"The education process to change our mindset is far more important," he said.
He noted that ethnic diversity was not Kenya's problem, but rather the way politicians manipulate ethnic identities to divide communities for political gain.
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"There is nothing wrong with belonging to a particular ethnic community. The problem comes when that identity is used to oppress and disadvantage others," he said.