The Catholic Bishop who has been at the helm of Embu Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in July 2009 cautioned against making wrong choices on election day saying, “Let us not assume that everybody is a good leader.”
“Once you have elected leaders for a period of five years, we will not have another election in between,” he further said, and added, “We want to have leaders who can serve this country very well. This way, we will be able to make a step forward instead of being stagnant or taking a step backward.”
The 59-year-old Catholic Church leader Bishop Kariuki underscored the need for peace in Kenya. “We want a peaceful election, coexistence and therefore, we want to pray for our county and country at large,” he said.
“Elections will come and go but the people will remain. Therefore, it is good to live in peace, to be considerate and to respect one another,” Bishop Kariuki said.
Kenyan eligible voters will be expected to vote for their President, Governors, Senators, Women representatives, Members of Parliament, and Members of County Assemblies at the poll scheduled for August 9.
In March, representatives of religious leaders under the Dialogue Reference Group (DRG) in Kenya said plans are underway for them to spearhead civic education targeting their respective members as the East African nation prepares for general elections.
“We shall commence interaction with Kenyans in our places of prayer and worship to strengthen interaction with stakeholders so that we educate our voters as we gear towards the next election,” DRG Secretary, Canon Chris Kinyanjui, said.
He said that DRG members who include representatives of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) are also ready to undertake advocacy work and increase the visibility of faith-based actors in the public space ahead of the August polls.
“We shall strengthen Monitoring and Observation as well as the rapid response. We are monitoring the gender-based violence, inter-ethnic conflicts, and insecurity incidents that we have witnessed in the country,” Canon Kinyanjui said March 15.
The DRG official said that Kenyan religious leaders will partner with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and other stakeholders in their activities.
