Even as President Uhuru Kenyatta has declared the posts of IEBC Chair and Commissioners vacant, The Inter-Regional Peace Network (IRPN) has warned the electoral agency against taking the country to the 2017 polls when they are not well prepared. Last week, IEBC publicly protested that the new electoral law had messed up their electoral timeline.
Mr. Frederick Ogweno, who is the Executive Director of IRPN, said the Commission should table their grievances for a better discourse instead of plunging the country into potential problems. “The Commission should not accept to take Kenyans to the August 2017 polls if they indeed know they are unprepared,” said Mr. Ogweno. He said this during the alunch of the organisation’s campaign called “Beyond Tribe” in Nairobi.
The IRPN boss also condemned hatemongers in the country, stating that perceptions of bias in the war aginst hatespeech will jeopardize the problem which threatens the country’s unity.
The organisation seeks to complement the government’s efforts to bring peace and tranquility in Kenya by working with various community members especially the youth and women from all parts of the nation. They intend to train over 5000 youth as peace ambassadors in over 22 Counties considered as hot-spots. The programs range from prevention of violence, anti-radicalization and poverty alleviation to pro-democracy and good governance advocacy.
ODM acting Secretary General Agnes Zani cautioned politicians who offer youth money to spread hateful notions and violence propaganda to stop their controversial acts. She said that leaders should come together and agree on ways to make Kenya a peaceful nation. She also said that everytime violence erupts, women and children are the ones who suffer the most.