National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) have held a consultative forum with election stakeholders to gauge the IEBC preparedness in Migori County.
Speaking during the election forum Migori County IEBC Coordinator Mr. Ben Moseti noted that it was very important to bring various stakeholders together to discuss matters of elections in the county.
Moseti said that the electoral body was prepared for elections and what was remaining was finalising the voter register that will be out on July 20.
“So far we have cleared nine aspirants for Governorship, six for Women Representatives and three for Senate. We are having a total of 379 aspirants who are vying for various political positions”, said Moseti.
Moseti said that it was important for the aspirants to shunt enormity in politics to safeguard the electoral process and ensure peaceful elections. He affirmed that no cases have been reported on electoral offences and urged the aspirants to uphold the electoral code of conduct that they swore under oath.
Moseti said that he was happy because all the aspirants had sworn under oath to respect the outcome of the elections and distant themselves from any violence.
He noted that it will be very unfortunate for an aspirant to be disqualified or fined for not following the code of conduct after using a lot of resources. He explained that one of the key electoral offences that the aspirants had sworn to respect was politicking at burial places or in churches, leading to disqualification.
“Our offices are open and we welcome anybody who has issues to come forward and discuss instead of criticising us in political arenas, noted Moseti.
Moseti added that the IEBC were ready to conduct free and fair elections and urged the church and the county government to work together to guarantee a peaceful election.
Migori County NCCK Chairperson Mr. Joshua Abulo said that there was a need to bring all the election stakeholders together to ensure that the elections are done in a conducive environment. He said that when the county is focused then peaceful elections will be guaranteed through the delivery of free, fair and verifiable elections.
“We have a country to protect after the general elections whether someone wins or not and the most important thing is country first then individuals”, said Abulo.
Abulo said that clergies will continue to pray for the country to ensure a peaceful transition for the sake of peace and prosperity. He, however, cautioned the church leadership to desist from converting their pulpits into political arenas. He stressed that a church is a temple of God and every worshiper is equal in the eyes of God.
For those clergies that had chosen to seek political seats, Abulo said that it was their constitutional right to do so as long as they do not mix church issues with politics.
Migori Deputy County Commissioner Mr. Benson Karani said that the electoral stakeholders from the judiciary, security multiagency and churches will work together to ensure that elections are not only peaceful but free, fair and provable.
Karini underlined that the IEBC has assured the stakeholders that they were ready for the elections. He called upon the aspirants to campaign peacefully and accord each other mutual respect.
The administrator also urged those aspiring for the political seats to caution their followers not to carry weapons in their political campaigns. Karani said that those that will be found carrying weapons during political functions will be arrested and charged in a court of law.
