Make Every Effort to Live in Peace
Press Statement
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Preamble
The North Rift Region of the National Council of Churches of Kenya has held a two-day consultative forum here at RCEA Conference and Training Center, Eldoret, under the theme “Strengthening Governance, Accountability and Trust”. Present in the forum were delegates from member churches in Turkana, West Pokot, Trans Nzoia, Elgeyo Marakwet, Uasin Gishu and Nandi counties. They were inspired by the scripture recorded in Hebrews 12: 14
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Appreciating the centrality of peace within and between communities, and having learnt from our past where our region has experienced conflict and violence in the past, we share this pastoral message with the nation.
1. Genuinely Eradicate Corruption
It is a very sad reality that the counties in our region are experiencing ever-increasing corruption characterized by misuse of public resources, weak accountability systems and declining public trust in institutions. We note that corruption is a key driver of poverty, unemployment and poor service delivery. This state of depravity is not sustainable and urgent action is required.
We call for multi-stakeholder consultations to strengthen the anti-corruption capacities of the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) to give them powers to take meaningful action against suspects. We especially recommend that persons convicted by court for corruption be barred from contesting in elections even in cases where appeals are pending. Further, we call upon like minded organisations to support the efforts to train and empower communities to demand accountability from leaders and public institutions.
2. Improve Disaster Preparedness
We in this forum are heart broken that over the last 20 years, our counties have experienced devastating floods and landslides that have killed dozens of people. Families get displaced every rainy season. For how long will the people cry for a lasting solution?
We call upon the North Rift Economic Bloc (NOREB) to convene inter-county consultations so that there is coordinated action across all the counties to remedy this persistent challenge. Among the actions that should be considered, we recommend the following:
One, that families living on steep escarpments be relocated to safer areas
Two, that intensive tree growing exercises be undertaken in the affected areas, towards which the county governments need to allocate adequate funds for seedlings
Three, that all the county governments in this region ban charcoal burning immediately to preserve the remaining trees
On their part, we appeal to the residents in our counties to embrace agro-forestry practices by planting and growing trees on their farms.
3. Prepare Early for 2027 Elections
Every five years, our nation gets shaken by the General Elections. This shakeup always occurs due to weak democratic participation and low adherence to the law. The persistent accusations of electoral malpractices result in voter apathy and disenfranchisement. Recognizing that the elections are still 14 months away, we are concerned that politicians at all levels are neglecting service delivery and focusing on campaigns. We recommend that remedial actions are taken to safeguard the wellbeing and future of our nation, which include:
One, political parties and the Office of Registrar of Political Parties should work with the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission to ensure that all candidates are vetted to ensure only persons of integrity stand a chance to be voted for.
Two, that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) takes firm and punitive action against any candidates or political parties that engage in malpractices such as vote buying, unethical mobilization practices, and violence against opponents
Three, the security agencies and the Director of Public Prosecutions should ensure that any person who engages in goonism by organizing youths to do violence is investigated and prosecuted.
Four, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) must take punitive and visible action against all persons engaged in hate speech and incitement. In this regard we call upon the National Assembly to speedily amend the law so that the definition of hate speech is expanded to cover the incitement we are witnessing today.
We continue to encourage the youth and all other persons to visit the IEBC offices and register as voters so as to participate in the democratic processes.
4 Improve Service Delivery and Infrastructure
Once again, the onset of rains has exposed the poor state of roads and physical infrastructure in our counties. The road network is pathetic, residents do not have access to clean water, delivery of services to the public is poor, and there is unequal distribution of development resources within the counties.
We challenge the county governments to prioritize public-focused service delivery with priority being put on opening up all areas with all weather roads. Further, access to sustainable sources of water should be prioritized at an inter-county level to effectively address the persistent inter-community conflicts.
Further, we appeal to NOREB to facilitate the member counties to develop and implement a youth empowerment and engagement blueprint for sustainable livelihood options.
5. Address Insecurity in North Rift Region
Despite decades of peace work and periodic government interventions, the Kerio Valley ecosystem continues to be plagued by persistent insecurity. Across the counties, muggings and other forms of insecurity are increasing. Being inspired by the word recorded in Romans 12: 18 which tell us “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”, we call for meaningful and community-oriented measures to address this insecurity:
One, the Ministry of Interior and National Administration should use its instruments to track down persons and systems that drive insecurity and deal with them according to the law
Two, non governmental organisations and other stakeholders should continue to promote peace in the affected areas by undertaking intra and inter community reconciliation initiatives, sensitizing the youth so that they are not misused by leaders.
On our part we commit to continue using our pulpits to preach peaceful coexistence of all communities.
6. Keep Politics Off the Pulpit
In view of the intensifying political activity, we appeal to our fellow clergy to adhere to the guidelines that were issued by the Executive Committee of the NCCK on ministering to politicians. The guidelines state that:
One, all politicians who attend worship services are to be treated the same as all other worshippers
Two, all monetary and material contributions should be treated as offerings and should not be announced or given with fanfare
Three, politicians should not be allowed to address congregants inside the church and should instead speak to people outside the church building after the service
Four, church leaders will remain objective and non-partisan and will avoid endorsing or opposing any political leader or party
Conclusion
In conclusion, we do recall that joy and peace in life are the product of people living in and clothing themselves with love, for love is the glue that binds us all together. Let us always remember the benefits of love that are recorded in 1 Corinthians 13: 4 – 6
Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.
Let us all embrace love, and we will truly live at peace with each other. May God bless us all now and at all times.
Signed on this 8th day of May 2026 at RCEA Conference and Training Center, Eldoret
Bishop Dr Emmanuel Chemengich
Chairman, NCCK North Rift Region
