A section of Lamu political aspirants have pledged to adhere to the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) code of conduct rule book with the view of maintaining peace ahead of the August 9, 2022 election.
Speaking to KNA during the County Conference on Peace Election held in Hindi Thursday at Himwa Social Hall in which all aspirants were invited for discussions with the IEBC, opinion leaders and the top brass of the county security team ODM Lamu Senatorial aspirant Ahmed Bunu urged his fellow competitors to campaign peacefully devoid of incitement.
He further stated that he and his team would conduct peaceful campaigns as they go about selling their manifesto to the Lamu public.
Sentiments echoed by UDA Lamu West constituency MP aspirant Rishad Amana who stated that there was need for politicians to take responsibility and avoid hate politics that could divide the county along tribal and religious lines.
“We need to be wary of what we say in public and even in private as we also go about our door to door campaigns, and realize that the weight of our campaigns could have an impact even beyond the ongoing elections,” he stated.
Other Lamu West constituency aspirants namely Abdirashid Mwaura and Josphat Musembi who are making their political debut in this election also stated that they would work towards ensuring their campaigns are peaceful throughout and beyond the election.
“It is important that Lamu county is peaceful during and beyond the campaign period due to the massive infrastructure investment that the national government has made in terms of the Lamu port, security personnel and roads with the aim of moving the county forward from its status as a formerly marginalized area,” Jubilee Party Senatorial aspirant Joseph Githuku reiterated.
Lamu Women aspirant and former nominated MCA Muthoni Marubu also urged the national government to ensure that women and persons with disability candidates are provided with adequate security throughout the campaign period.
Her sentiments were addressed by Lamu County Commissioner Macharia Irungu who assured women candidates and persons with disability candidates that they would be protected throughout their campaigns and urged the aspirants to maintain the peace.
He however, reiterated the national government’s position that no one found liable of hate speech or incitement throughout the campaign period would be spared.
“Security agencies are working closely with the IEBC, NCIC to ensure that all politicians conduct their elections peacefully,” he stated.
Lamu West IEBC Returning Officer Isaiah Saha called on the aspirants to just adhere to the IEBC code of conduct rule book during their campaigns if they are to avoid being liable to hate speech.
He further called on security agents to remain vigilant especially during the tallying process in which most aspirants tended to divert from the IEBC code of conduct rule book.
Kiunga Youth Bunge Programme Coordinator Noor Dahir who hosted the conference, called on politicians to be cautious in their remarks especially on social media which he noted has become the new frontier for active campaigns in Lamu.
“We need to be very careful with our utterances especially on social media where so far ten people on a Facebook called “Lamu County Politics” are under investigation by the police over hate speech remarks,” the CBO official said.
