Mobile operators in Kenya are going to have to approve political text messages before they are sent out to subscribers, according to guidelines being mooted by the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK).

The CCK has proposed guidelines that require all political parties to send their SMS messages to mobile network operators for approval 48 hours before they can be sent out.

The CCK guidelines also propose that all political SMS messages should be sent between 6am and 6pm.

The call for the guideline comes as the CCK seeks to combat incitement that may lead to violence during the March 2013 elections.

“Prior to sending of any proposed political message, a mobile network operator shall vet its content to ensure compliance with these guidelines. The mobile network operator will notify the requester of its decision within eighteen (18) hours of submission of the request,” the draft guidelines read in part.

The CCK has also restricted the use of language to English and Swahili only. This move bans the sending of political messages in vernacular languages to avoid incitement that may turn communities against each other as was witnessed in the 2008 post election violence.

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) will vet messages in instances where mobile operators are unable to ascertain internally whether the content of an SMS is not inflammatory, inciting, hateful or otherwise in violation of the law.

“The NCIC shall respond to a request by an MNO to vet the contents of a message within twenty four (24) hours. In the event a political message that had already been transmitted elicits an unforeseen negative reaction from the public or any other entity, the MNO shall have the right to stop subsequent transmissions of the message. In this event, the political party or individual that sent the message will be required to issue an apology to the recipients of the political message,” the guidelines state.

Political parties have also been barred from sending SMS messages that attack individual persons, their families, their ethnic background, race, religion or their associations.

The new rules further prohibit the sending of unsolicited political messages to customers who have not subscribed as well as unauthorised use, sharing or sale of existing customer databases for purposes of sending out political messages, poll tracking and lobby activities.