Political Intolerance & Violence Should Not Define Our Electoral Process

The incidences of political intolerance witnessed in Baringo, Kisumu, Thika and Githurai should remind us that democracies, whether fledgling or established, are built on the basis of ideological competition and divergent views. Differences in political orientation and membership to different political formations should not take us back to our dark past. In any case, such differences ought to lay a strong foundation for our Republic’s democracy.

With lessons drawn from the past, it is vitally important that we maintain peace as we edge closer to the polls. Despite the fact that Kenya is a confederation of ethnic communities, a reality we cannot run away from, political maturity has to be exercised unless we have the intention of taking the path to the bottomless pit.