Inter Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) has conducted a peaceful rally in Migori town to sensitize the residents on the importance of peace as the country moves closer to the August 9 election.
IRCK Migori and Narok Coordinator Ezekiel Mburu said that the organization was conducting the peace rally in other 10 counties to ensure that peace prevails before, during and after elections.
Mburu noted that they had concentrated on areas that were perceived to be election hotspots to bring the message of love, peace and unity among residents.
He said that youths were the hope of the future and their safety should be guarded to ensure that their future is guaranteed. The official noted that whenever there is election violence youths, children and women tend to suffer most.
“We as IRCK are here to bring the message of hope and love to our youths and help them shun election violence,” said Mburu.
Mburu said that IRCK will continue to give a platform for interaction both at the county and national levels to safeguard peace and promote unity and inclusivity.
Migori County Police Commander Mark Wanjala cautioned the youth not to be used by politicians as the same leaders will dump them immediately after they are elected.
Wanjala said that it was important for the youths to prepare their minds that their preferred candidates may win or lose an election.
Wanjala said that most times election violence happen after IEBC declares results that youths did not anticipate. “It is very important for the youths to prepare their minds that in an election there can only be one winner and several losers,” he said.
The police commander called upon Migori residents to provide information so that necessary interventions can be done on time.
The coordinator for Peacenet, a Migori based NGO Castro Basara said that it was good news for the county after the recent statistics showed it was no longer a hot spot.
Early this month The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) mapped out five major towns as possible hotspots for violence during this year’s campaigns period with Migori County being mapped as a low hotspot area.
Barasa, however, said that they will continue to preach peace and engage election stakeholders to ensure peace prevails before, during and after the polls.
He pointed out that his organization has so far trained 380 social media users and bloggers to ensure positive election messaging that promotes unity, peace and love.
“We have a country to protect and it is important that all of us practice peace not only for our sake but for the future generation,” concluded Barasa.
Last week the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) met with the IEBC and election stakeholders to gauge election preparedness in Migori County.
By Geoffrey Makokha
