NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 4 – Chief Justice Martha Koome has raised concerns over what she has described as the insincerity by politicians who are preaching peace and yet their actions betray them.
With three months to go before Kenyans head to the polls on August 9, Koome warned that the hypocrisy by the political class is a possible recipe for chaos if they do not put an end to their mischief.
“It amazes me that everybody talks about peace, peaceful elections, peaceful coexistence and reminding everybody that we only have only one country Kenya. But then why do we create tension and hatred? Why don’t we ask ourselves to do to the other what we like the other one to do unto ourselves?” she stated.
Koome regretted that it was unfortunate that the political class had resorted to using all means including causing unnecessary tension and dividing Kenyans to secure victory for themselves.
“One of the main postulates of a democratic society is the conduct of peaceful, free, and fair elections, which are perceived as legitimate by the public and stakeholders in the electoral processes,” she said during the launch of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) guidelines on electoral justice.
Koome’s remarks came three days after former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s chopper was stoned in Uasin Gishu County fuelling tension of the re-emergence of political violence in the country.
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has since mapped out 27 regions which are potential hotspots for violence.
In the list, the Rift Valley region had not been included with Kobia lauding the area leaders then for promoting peace initiatives.
The last Friday’s incident has however, painted bad light in the region that was a hotbed of attacks during the 2007/2008 post-election violence.
The Judiciary, the NCIC and the ODPP are currently working together to tame the cases of hate speech in the country even as the government announced that offenders of the vice will be arrested and prosecuted after the polls.
To foster credible polls, Koome announced that the Judiciary Committee on Elections (JCE) that has developed and is implementing a comprehensive election preparedness work plan to ensure that the institution is positioned to discharge its mandate optimally.
“We have already embarked training of judges and judicial officers on electoral offences and connected matters,” she said.
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