Religious leaders have called upon the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials, agents of political parties, candidates and other stakeholders involved in the process of counting and tallying of votes to exercise highest level of transparency, accountability and accuracy.
Bishop John Oballa Owaa of Ngong Diocese said it will be disheartening to Kenyans if the ballots are miscounted whereas IEBC is constitutionally mandated to declare truthful results.
Rt. Rev Owaa who was issuing a message today evening on behalf of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Council of Churches of Kenya at Bomas of Kenya where the general elections results will be announced, urged actors who have been allowed to broadcast parallel elections tallying to inform their audiences that the results are provincial to avoid mistakes made by institutions of misleading the public.
“We call upon candidates, supporters and commentators to carefully consider their words and actions in response to the results that are announced,” said the prelate.
He said the religious leaders also called on Kenyans to uphold peace and national cohesion, noting that the peace witnessed across the country during the voting process is a positive sign of hope for all Kenyans.
“We encourage all actors and stakeholders to act responsibly and at all times endeavor to preserve peace and national cohesion,” said Bishop Owaa, adding that individual aspiration for any person should not put the lives of Kenyans at risk.
The Bishop said since every Kenyan has a role to play in the betterment of the society, the church is encouraging both winners and losers to accept the will of the people as provided for in law, whereby candidates or individuals who are dissatisfied with the results are required to seek legal redress.
He noted that religious leaders and institutions will be available to provide pastoral care, support and counseling to all the candidates and supporters.
Bishop Owaa said the church commends millions of Kenyans who turned up to exercise their constitutional right and civil duty to vote, urging them to continue upholding peace and responsible character as per the national anthem.
The clergy also called upon voters and candidates in the affected areas where elections were suspended by the electoral body to remain peaceful and patient as they await the opportunity to vote for their leaders, since IEBC has assured that the elections will be carried out soon.
By Bernadette Khaduli
