The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) was established following the 2008 post-election violence, as one of the agencies to help re-establish sobriety in Kenya. It has been going about its work ever since, with the media expecting it to go after those spouting hate speech.
However, NCIC was not given prosecutorial powers, and so it has often been described as ‘a toothless bulldog’ – despite working closely with other institutions that possess such powers. Its budget has also been limited.
The media has ignored NCIC’s other activities, including the peace-building mediation in different parts of the country, and five years ago I wrote an article about how they went about it.
‘They collaborated with other agencies,’ I wrote then, ‘benefitting from their expertise and their networks; held public barazas and organised work projects bringing youth together… As a result of their mediation, progress has been made.’
Recently, inter-generational issues have emerged as a serious source of conflict, and so NCIC decided to apply its experience to hosting meetings that brought together members of different generations, both genders and various sectors of the local communities.
The town hall meetings were held where conflict issues specific to those communities were evident, in Marsabit, Isiolo, Nairobi, Taita Taveta, Kisumu, Busia and Kilifi.
NCIC called these meetings intergenerational conversations, a nice term, that captures listening as much as speaking, in a friendly atmosphere.
In the selected counties, where inter-ethnic tensions and historical marginalisation have strained community relations, the need for cross-generational dialogue was particularly pressing. Intergenerational and inter-ethnic mistrust have continued to fuel misunderstanding, polarisation and vulnerability to manipulation by extremist actors.
And when youth – especially Gen Z – feel alienated and unheard, they become more susceptible to recruitment into violent networks and misinformation campaigns.
Conversely, when they are meaningfully engaged and connected to mentors, elders and institutions, they become powerful agents of peace and resilience.
By bringing together the experiences of elders, the innovation and energy of youth and the influence of women and local leaders, the conversations facilitated mutual understanding, addressed generational grievances and fostered a shared vision for peaceful coexistence.
In Isiolo, for instance, the forum generated several recommendations and achievements, including calls for increased youth representation in governance, review of public participation laws and strengthened mentorship programmes to bridge generational gaps.
A key outcome was the recognition that elders provide wisdom, while youth bring energy and innovation, helping dismantle the ‘us versus them’ mentality and replacing it with a shared vision of cooperation.
NCIC followed up with podcasts where diverse voices from across Kenya were heard to engage in honest, reflective, positive and forward-looking discussions on governance, leadership and political culture.
The first episode, ‘Wisdom in Transit’, explores how values, ethics and lessons on leadership are passed across generations.
‘New Guards’ highlights emerging youth leaders and their role in reshaping Kenya’s governance culture. ‘Old Wisdom: Bridging the Ages’ examines how traditional knowledge and modern governance can coexist to promote cohesion.
‘Political Decency in Action’ focuses on civility and integrity in political engagement, while ‘Government Without Borders’ discusses collaboration across counties, institutions and communities within a devolved governance system.
The sixth episode, ‘The Cost of Indecency,’ analyses how intolerance, corruption and disrespect weaken democracy and development.
‘Youth Agenda: The Future of Governance’ centres on the aspirations of young people and their inclusion in leadership, and the final episode, ‘A Shared Vision’, calls for collective action toward a just, decent and unified Kenya.
Given an availability of budgets, NCIC would host many more town halls, create and distribute more podcasts, and follow up on earlier engagements.
I am encouraged to see that the recently appointed NCIC CEO/Secretary, Daniel Mutegi, has a background in monitoring and evaluation, and he has been a member of the Vision2030 Secretariat. All this means he will be focusing on the long-term impact of such initiatives in a robust manner.
And as Rev Dr Sam Kobia reaches the end of his term as chairman of NCIC, we can look back on all that the ‘toothless bulldog’ has accomplished to promote cohesion and integration, much of it quietly behind the scenes. Well done, Dr Kobia.
Let us view NCIC’s intergenerational conversations as role models of how to bring Kenyans together, within their communities and higher up to the national level.