Migori Deputy County Commissioner Mr. Benson Karani has warned Migori youths against carrying crude weapons in political campaigns.
Karani who spoke in a peace and security committee forum for election preparedness at one of the County Halls in Migori noted that any youth who will be spotted in rallies with any form of weapon that can cause harm and disturb peace will be immediately arrested and taken to court.
He noted that it was in the best interest of the public to share information about individuals that intend to cause harm to others in order to ensure peace, stability and security are achieved before and after elections.
The administrator cautioned the youth to tread carefully on what the politicians were feeding their minds during this electioneering period for the sake of peace and unity.
Karani explained that the work of the government is to see everyone is protected as the country moves closer to the general election for the prosperity of the nation.
Karani also asked the youths to put their leaders on the account and elect leaders who will take them to the next level in terms of socio-economic development.
He called on youths to give each aspirant a chance to sell their agendas and gauge them on their deeds so that they can make a wise decision come August 9.
“May I ask all the youths to be ambassadors of peace and ensure that they conduct themselves with the utmost respect for the sake of peace,” said Karani.
He encouraged local administrators to play their part and ensure that grass root peace and security is maintained and achieved. He said that Migori County has been categorised as a potential security risk during the electioneering period and the only way to avoid violence is to ensure that grass root security is properly addressed.
The administrator affirmed that the security intelligence committees across the ten sub counties will be conducting a continuous election preparedness to analyse the risks and how better to address them before August 9.
Karani called upon the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to act firmly and reinforce laws for those aspirants that will break the set rules and regulations.
He noted that the security agencies will play their part but IEBC should also play theirs to see free, fair and verifiable election outcomes.
He asked the aspirants to always give a 14-day notification to hold rallies in designated places and a follow up of the same within 72 hours so that they can adequately provide security. He also noted that events licences will be given on a first come basis.
“Now that the campaigns have officially started we will try our best to ensure security during these campaign times. The campaign rallies will however be held between 6 am to 6 pm and anybody found to operate outside this set times will be arrested,” concluded Karani.
