The National Cohesion and Integration Commission has refuted claims of its disbandment reported by Daily Nation, stating that its commissioners are simply approaching the end of their constitutional term. This clarification follows Senate threats to transfer the commission's mandate amid criticisms of its effectiveness. NCIC remains operational and is preparing a handover report to President William Ruto.
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) issued a statement on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, rebutting a Daily Nation article published the previous day that alleged the commission's leadership had been disbanded by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen. NCIC Chair Samuel Kobia explained that the commissioners' six-year non-renewable terms, as mandated by the Constitution, began on November 19, 2019, and will conclude on November 17, 2025.
"We therefore wish to clarify that recent media reports, specifically the Nation Media, alleging the disbandment of the Commission are incorrect, misleading and a misrepresentation of the facts," Kobia stated. "The NCIC remains fully operational and continues to execute its legal mandate. The Commission is actively preparing a comprehensive handover report to H.E. Dr William Samoei Arap Ruto, EGH, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, as our appointing authority, and in line with its commitment to accountability and good governance."
The Daily Nation story, titled 'CS Murkomen disbands NCIC leadership, kicks off search for new commissioners,' reported that Murkomen had gazetted vacancies for eight commissioner positions. This announcement came a day after a heated Senate session on November 3, 2025, where senators accused NCIC of being too casual and ineffective. They warned that Kenya risked repeating the post-2007 election violence atrocities without decisive action and threatened to transfer the commission's mandate to other state agencies.
Established in 2008 following the 2007/08 post-election violence (PEV), NCIC has long faced criticism for failing to curb hate speech that contributed to past chaos. In an October 23, 2025, interview on Radio Generation, NCIC commissioner Dr Danvas Makori highlighted legal shortcomings. "Part of the settlement of Agenda 4 National Accord was to set up a commission like this to tick a box, but the way the law was created was weak and very intentional," Makori said. "They set the threshold for the definition of hate speech very high. If you go to court right now and you look at the definition of hate speech, before you convict someone of that or even prove that, it is a very uphill task."