UN boss cautions leaders against inflammatory public statements

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 –political conflicts," said Chuma who is also the UN’s 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 Group’s 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.

He also said UNDP was working with NCIC and District Peace Committees to promote peace through the Uwiano platform for peace at the grassroots level head of the polls.

Mr Chuma said he regards the media as excellent partners in promoting peace and congratulated the Standard Group for taking a leading role in this initiative.

Strategies

Mr Melly said the Standard Group had laid down strategies and invested in new technology to ensure Kenyans get the best coverage of the elections. He echoed Chuma’s concerns over the need for peaceful elections and urged Kenyans to maintain harmony and national cohesion.

"Elections come and go but the country remains. We should not invest on frameworks that undermine peace but instead work towards a credible process that will ensure a democratic change," said Melly.

He praised to UNDP for spearheading institutional reforms and civic education.

"The UNDP has played a commendable role in initiating dialogue in the country through pro-active engagements."

Also present were Standard Group’s Executive Director, Value and Innovation, Francis Munywoki, assistant directors John Bundotich (Group Chief Editor), Peter Gichui (Broadcast and Creative Services) and Lawrence Njiru (Commercial).