Online Media Monitoring Phase 1 (OCT 2012 – JAN 2013) Umati Report Released

Ushahidi
Feb 24, 2013
Photo By: Jonathan Kalan

  Hate speech has garnered growing interest in Kenya since the 2007/8 Post Election Violence, in which it seems to have played a role, and because it has been rising again in certain contexts – online for example – in the period leading to our next presidential elections in just over two weeks. In response to this, Umati has conducted a unique, first-ever project to: 1) monitor the Kenyan online space for hate speech; 2) analyze the speech for how likely it is to stir violence; 3) find and use non-government ways of countering it (e.g. #NipeUkweli) Please find the initial results from monitoring conducted during our first phase of the project, from October 2012 to January 2013.   Umati Phase 1 Report (PDF)   In the upcoming days and weeks, the Umati project is promoting NipeUkweli– (Kiswahili for “give me truth”) – a campaign developed to educate Kenyans about dangerous speech and what individuals can do to combat its effects. These fliers have been published for distribution in Kenya, in Kiswahili and in English. For more information, please contact umati [at] ihub [dot] co [dot] ke.   We look forward to your feedback and continuous support.