Speaking after a closed door meeting with the top leadership of the electoral commission on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops Philip Anyolo urged both President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga to be advocates of peace during their campaigns/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 26 – Religious leaders have called on the two main political players to shun divisive politics that may undermine peace in the country ahead of the fresh presidential election.
Speaking after a closed door meeting with the top leadership of the electoral commission on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops Philip Anyolo urged both President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga to be advocates of peace during their campaigns.
“We have examined the current environment and have concluded that unless we embrace dialogue and reason together and agree on common nation common steps to stability and effective governance, the risk of plunging into full blown conflict and collapsing economy is real, there is need for our leaders to champion for peace in the country,” said Anyolo.
Anyolo who was accompanied by other Bishops drawn from other parts of the country appealed to the two leaders to honour the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) invitation to dialogue and to chart the way forward with the aim of holding the fresh presidential election slated for 26th October.
“There have been demands from both parts of the political divide on IEBC, that the IEBC is trying to address, we are convinced that this proposed meeting for dialogue should be an opportunity to address the pending issues surrounding the elections,” said Anyolo.
The Catholic clergy further appealed to Kenyans to restrain themselves from engaging in violent demonstrations that may trigger tension in the country with few days left before the
“Name calling and threats during this period is a threat towards the stability of the country, it is our humble prayer that Kenyans will ignore violence,” said Anyolo.
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