Plan ahead to ensure there's peace before and after August elections

It is easy for memories of the 2013 contestation of President Uhuru Kenyatta's election by the Opposition to come back in view of the heightened political posturing, but more so at the current opposition's stand; threatening to boycott elections unless certain conditions are met. This combative attitude by the Opposition is not good for democracy, but an intransigent Government does not also help matters.

While the 2013 presidential election dispute was handled peacefully and in line with the requirements of the law, therefore marking a shift from the chaos that swept through the country over the disputed 2007 presidential election results, there is danger, as opinion polls have indicated, of violence breaking out over presidential results this year unless both sides of the political divide tone down their utterances.