The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has called for a halt to the ongoing anti-government protests called by opposition leader Raila Odinga.

The commission’s chairperson Samuel Kobia on Tuesday said the demonstrations are creating tension across the country, citing Monday’s case where people were killed, injured and property destroyed.

“While the constitution allows for the right to demonstrate, it does not guarantee the right to perform illegal acts against people and property,” Reverend Kobia told a press conference.

He condemned the vandalism of cars, business premises, churches and mosques in parts of the country such as Nairobi and Kisumu, saying “we are worried that such acts will escalate into tensions across ethnic lines and also hate speech.”

“The situation in the country has created an enabling environment for criminals to do their activities,” he added.

Kobia additionally condemned Monday’s raid on former president Uhuru Kenyatta’s family land along the Nairobi Eastern Bypass, where dozens of sheep were stolen, trees cut down and later a portion of the property burnt down.

NCIC blamed it on people who are “settling age-old land rights issues.”

“The senseless destruction of property is an outright illegal action which can only need to more acrimony,” Kobia said.

Kobia called for an immediate stop to the demonstrations and urged President William Ruto and Mr Odinga to sit and iron out their issues.

“We call for dialogue; this option is available and we advocate for this. We can't solve issues by shouting at each other. We call on political divides to come and dialogue and put the interest of the Kenyans first,” he said.

Among the parties that have called for President Ruto and Odinga to solve their differences through dialogue are religious leaders, who on Tuesday addressed the media from Kibra.

“We call on President Ruto and Raila Odinga to have unconditional meet-ups and discussions to quell the political tension in the country. They must come together and talk,” they said in a joint statement.

“We call upon Azimio to call off demonstrations and use alternative approaches to handle grievances,” they added.

Odinga meanwhile maintains that the protests will continue bi-weekly until the government heeds the opposition’s call for a lower cost of living, and reforms in the electoral commission, among other concerns.