Press Statement by the Multi Sectoral Forum Held on 3rd July 2017

SECURING ELECTIONS 2017: HOPE FOR KENYA IN THE ELECTIONS

PRESS STATEMENT

PREAMBLE
The Dialogue Reference Group (DRG) of the Multi Sectoral Forum, has met here at ACK Guest House, Nairobi, to take stock of the state of the nation as Kenyans make final preparations for the elections to be held on Tuesday next week. In our consultations, we took to heart the exhortation of Psalms 133: 1 and 5
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity… for there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.
This is the hope that we wish to share with the people of Kenya, that General Elections next week will leave our country better, not worse.

1. MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE OF KENYA
Our Brothers and Sisters, the moment we have been waiting for is here. We urge you to seize this opportunity to exercise your constitutional right and peacefully vote for leaders of your choice. We also urge you to respect the democratic right of other voters and allow them to vote for candidates of their choice. And as you participate in the elections, we counsel you to follow the guidelines provided by the IEBC officials prior to, during and after the elections. On our part, we strongly commend you for conducting yourselves with peace and decorum during the electoral period. Let us uphold this spirit of brotherhood and peace as we come to the close of the electoral process. It is therefore of great importance that you refuse to participate in demonstrations and any criminal activities since this could result in loss of life and property.
Further, we advice you to refrain from speculations and to consume news received through social media with caution as it may be propaganda and fake news aimed at inciting hatred and violence.

2. MESSAGE TO THE IEBC
This Dialogue Reference Group wishes to express satisfaction with the preparations made by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for the General Elections. We have confidence that the IEBC officials and staff have done all that is humanly possible to ensure that the elections will be credible, free and fair. Now all that remains is to practically put the plans and processes into action. It is especially important that the Presiding Officers and Returning Officers refuse to be compromised so that the integrity of the elections is upheld at all levels. We only urge you to constantly communicate with Kenyans so that there is no space for speculation and propaganda in the minds of Kenyans.

3. MESSAGE TO ALL CANDIDATES
We the religious leaders call upon all candidates for all the positions to explicitly instruct your supporters to participate in the elections peacefully and respect other voters. You also need to publicly commit to accept the elections results announced by the IEBC, or to file petitions in court if you are not satisfied with what is announced. You have no right to incite your supporters to engage in demonstrations or violence against other Kenyans should the results not be in your favour.
We especially request the Presidential Polls candidates Your Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta and Rt Hon Raila Odinga, as well as the other presidential polls candidates, to conclude your campaigns by assuring Kenyans that you stand for unqualified peace before, during and after the elections.
Further to promoting peace, we urge all those who form the national and county level governments to explicitly be inclusive and show the face of Kenya in their teams.

4. MESSAGE TO CANDIDATES ORGANISING VIOLENCE
We are aware that some politicians have organized gangs of youths to engage in pre meditated political violence, and then pretend it is spontaneous. This is a grievous and evil political strategy. Kenyans witnessed it in 2007 / 2008 and the country has never fully recovered from the aftermath.
We as religious leaders renounce in unequivocal terms this practice by some politicians to trivialize the sanctity of the lives of Kenyans, relegating their lives or injury to mere political capital. It is quite notable to us that none of their children or relatives are ever on the frontline of the mayhem.
We strongly advice the parents and spouses of youths who may be killed or maimed in political confrontations to sue the political parties that organised the chaos for compensation. We will be happy to be enjoined in such cases.

5. MESSAGE TO SECURITY AGENCIES
We as religious leaders wish to commend all security agencies for the efforts made to maintain peace and security in the country in the lead up to the elections. We now urge you to conduct yourselves within the law and serve all Kenyans equally without fear or favour. You must be firm and refuse to be intimidated by politicians as you fulfil your constitutional mandate.
We therefore urge you to take firm action against the political actors who are organizing criminal gangs that are visiting violence and terror on Kenyans across the board. Beyond engaging in riot control measures, we urge you to ensure that the sponsors of the groups are arrested and prosecuted so as to prevent a breakdown to bloodshed.
To achieve this, we encourage the National Intelligence Service to feed the other security agencies with updated and accurate intelligence so that they take specific and targeted actions.

6. MESSAGE TO THE MEDIA
We as religious leaders call upon all the media houses to commit to objective, balanced and factual reporting in appreciation of the sensitivity of the news you broadcast during this period. While we appreciate the competition to be the first to break news, we counsel that you take time to crosscheck and verify information before you share it with Kenyans.

7. MESSAGE TO FAITH INSTITUTIONS
We as religious leaders kindly remind our fellow faith leaders to take these remaining days to organise private and public prayers for the elections. Let us reach out to, and pray and counsel with all the candidates so that they are spiritually and psychologically prepared for the elections and the results announced by the IEBC.

8. MESSAGE ON POST ELECTION DIALOGUE ON GOVERNANCE
We call upon whoever forms the next national government to coordinate national energies towards an authentic and inclusive conversation of all Kenyans to agree on a structure of national governance that is more unifying. This is crucial to facilitate attainment of national cohesion and integration as well as political, social, economic and cultural aspirations.
It must also be a structure that facilitates productive engagement of the youth.
This is the surest cure to the toxicity, anxiety and desperation that has characterized elections in Kenya.

CONCLUSION
We conclude by commending Kenyans for the continued commitment to peace and good neighbourliness. Let us approach the 8th August General Elections with hope and confidence that Kenya will emerge stronger and better.
Let us be confident that God has heard and will continue to answer the prayer we make through our National Anthem:

O God of all Creation, Bless this our Land and Nation, Justice be our shield and defender
May we dwell in unity, peace and liberty, plenty be found within our borders

May God bless Kenya now and forever more.