NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 16 – The National Council of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) has urged President-elect William Ruto to reach out to his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta and his main rival in the just concluded election Raila Odinga.
Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday, the council’s chairman Stephen Cheboi emphasized the need for the three leaders to reason together for the good of the country.
“What we have witnessed from previous elections is that there is a need for us as a nation to work together, especially the leaders, we must tolerate one another, we must embrace one another. In any competition there has to be a winner and a loser so in this case we need to accept the winner as per the results,” he stated.
The Chairman further underscored the importance of peace in the country as leaders work together to get solutions to socio-economic problems affecting Kenyans.
“These are leaders who have worked together before, they may have different ideas on how to move this country forward, but Kenya is bigger than them, so our appeal to the leaders is to work together for the interest of our country,” he stated.
The country now awaits the next step by the Azimio Party who have not yet confirmed concession to the results as Kenya Kwanza celebrates their victory adding that they will serve all kenyans equally regardless of how they voted.
William Ruto was declared the winner of Kenya’s close-fought presidential poll on a day of high drama Monday, with violent protests in his defeated rival’s strongholds, claims of rigging and a split in the commission that oversaw the vote.
As tensions ran high after his narrow victory against a Odinga, the 55-year-old president-elect issued a conciliatory message, vowing to work with “all leaders”.
“There is no room for vengeance,” said Ruto, who will become Kenya’s fifth president since independence from Britain in 1963. “I am acutely aware that our country is at a stage where we need all hands on deck,” he stated.
