By Felix Olick and John Oywa
A United Nations agency is concerned over the rising tension in the country ahead of the General Election and wants leaders to watch their public utterances.
The United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP) representative in Kenya Aeneas Chuma said he shared the concerns raised by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) that political statements made by certain leaders were polarising the country.
"We are watching Kenya very keenly, especially on ethno âpolitical conflicts," said Chuma who is also the UNâs resident and Humanitarian Co-coordinator in Kenya.
Mr Chuma said the international community expected nothing short of free, fair and credible elections that would be acceptable to Kenyans.
"We are optimistic that Kenya will have credible elections. This is possible especially if we borrow from the successes registered during the last referendum. The referendum was a good model of a free and fair election," he said.
Historic election
He added: "This is a historic election for Kenya, being the first ever under the new Constitution and must be handled with care."
Mr Chuma, who spoke at the Standard Group Centre when he paid a courtesy call on the Groupâs Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Paul Melly, reiterated on the need for more civic education ahead of the elections.
He said the mock elections held in Kajiado County by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) last month, exposed ignorance among many voters.
"Some of the voters who participated in the mock elections did not even know that they were supposed to vote for six different positions," said the UN official.
However, Chuma expressed optimism that all was not lost as his organisation is currently partnering with 150 civil society organisations to provide civic education throughout the country.
