“We already have been going through unbearable times since the pandemic and here we are now having to cope with the results. Mental health is still not given the much attention that it deserves and that lack of awareness has left us treating each other without minding of the damage we cause,” the Kenyan Pro-lifer said, and added, “I again ask that we be compassionate as we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.”
On Monday, August 15, Kenya’s Deputy President, Dr. William Ruto, was declared the winner of the tight Presidential election with 50.49% of the valid votes, against his main challenger, former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, who garnered 48.85%.
It is the fifth time that Mr. Odinga unsuccessfully contested for the country’s top seat. He has since rejected the declared presidential results, terming them null and void.
Mr. Odinga who has also lauded the move of four of the seven IEBC Commissioners to disown the results that the chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Wafula Chebukati, declared has promised to pursue all legal options.
He has accused IEBC chairman, Mr. Chebukati, of “gross impunity” and his August 15 declaration “a major setback” to the country’s democracy, capable of triggering a political crisis.
In the August 17 interview with ACI Africa, Ms. Njore appealed to young people who feel disgruntled owing to the election outcome to guard their emotions and to champion for truth using all legal and constitutional avenues available to them.
“I believe there is something we can do. Each one of us. We must start by being in charge of our emotions and controlling our language because you don’t know about tomorrow. The person you’re fighting today would be the one you need tomorrow,” the LVI Founder said.
She added, “We can, in our small way, whether through social media or one on one, demand to know the truth of what happened with IEBC without condemning anyone, because the truth should set us free. There must be a way of getting to know who is speaking the truth and verifying it. If one does not want to follow this cause, then that person is the one creating problems.”
Ms. Njore who mentors young people at Mary Mother of God Mweiga Catholic Parish of Kenya’s Archdiocese of Nyeri challenged the youth to always come out in large numbers to vote in their preferred candidates, noting that many young people appear during political campaigns but stay away on the actual election day.
“I noted that youths turned up in numbers during campaigns and were very much noticed by the aspirants but the same didn’t happen on the voting day; fewer turned up to vote. They have varied reasons but mostly is a lack of a dream that things can change,” Ms. Njore said.