All Set For The Pamoja National Conference: Rev. Canon Karanja

At least 300 delegates from various communities in the country are expected to gather in Nairobi in the next 3 days for a national conference on cohesion and integration. The event dubbed the ‘Pamoja National Conference’ slated for 9^th to 11^th of this month, will be a culmination of various intra and inter community peace engagement at the grassroot level. President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto are expected to grace the 3 day event. During the conference the delegates will be expected to dialogue and suggest solutions on how to achieve meaningful cohesion and integration in the country. The event will also provide a platform for the delegates to engage and listen to presentations from various leaders across the political divide, key institutions and renowned local and international experts. Speaking when he paid a courtesy call to the Deputy president, The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) General Secretary Reverend Canon Peter Karanja called on the country’s leadership to encourage the political class to speak the same language. “His Excellency the President and yourself as his deputy have been very vocal about cohesion and integration in the country. We would like to see you encouraging the political class to speak the same language”, said Canon Karanja. Canon Karanja pointed out that the Pamoja National Conference will be an enterprise for cohesion in the country. He added that it was time Kenyans realized that the Country belonged to more than 42 ethnic communities other. On his part the Deputy President appreciated the move to hold the conference on cohesion and integration . The conference comes against a backdrop of perceived political differences and heightened activities in the country, just less than 2 years after the last general election. The Pamoja Conference will serve as the launching pad for various county forums across the country aimed at sustaining the national cohesion and integration agenda. Through the forums Kenyans will also be encouraged to cultivate homegrown solutions to perceived ethnic differences. The event has been organized by the National Council of Churches of Kenya, Inter Religious Council of Kenya, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission and the Embassy of Denmark Kenya.