Hundreds of Christians in the tourist resort town of Watamu in Kilifi County, Sunday staged a procession and prayed for peace before, during and after the August 9 polls.
Led by the Watamu Pastors’ Fellowship, an association of evangelical pastors in the town, the Christians held an open-air prayer crusade behind the Watamu Post Office after walking through the town, imploring God to grant the country peace as Kenyans go to the polls next week.
Officials of the pastors’ fellowship urged politicians to stop issuing inflammatory statements that could incite their followers into violence, saying life must continue after the elections, whether they win or lose.
They especially urged President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto to stop the public spats they have been engaging in and instead work towards reconciling the country, ahead of the general election.
The chairman of the Watamu Pastor Fellowship, the Rev. Samuel Owino, said Christians were also praying for politicians who would lose in the polls to accept the results, or just challenge the results in the courts if aggrieved.
“Many times, we have witnessed leaders rejecting the results and this has caused a lot of chaos in our country, and that is why we have decided to pray for the entire country for peace to prevail before, during and after the elections,” he said.
He called for respect among politicians, devoid of politics of hatred as this could spill over to their supporters and cause chaos in the country.
“We urge the President and his deputy, who have worked together for the two terms they have been in office, to respect each other for the sake of the country’s stability,” said Rev. Owino, who is also the Senior Pastor of the Grace Abundance Evangelism Centre.
Rev. Paul Badula, the fellowship’s treasurer, said the church plays a vital role in ensuring that peace prevails as long as Christians pray, adding that believers in Bible days used to seek God whenever an issue was difficult and their petitions were granted.
“We, as the Church of Christ in Watamu, have come together to call on the Name of God so that peace may prevail before, during and after the elections, and we believe God will grant us our requests,” said the Turtle Bay PEFA Church minister.
The same sentiments were echoed by Rev. Samuel Karisa of the Sanctuary of Praise Church in Watamu, who noted that the country had experienced difficult times immediately after every General Election, whenever leaders rejected election results.
I call upon all candidates to follow lawful channels to challenge the results instead of causing chaos,” Rev. Karisa said.
By Emmanuel Masha
