GARISSA, Kenya, Feb 14- A section of Muslim preachers have embarked on a mission to preach peace across the North Eastern region of Kenya ahead of the August 9 elections.
The group of scholars and preachers led by Sheikh Ibrahim Abdullahi and Omar Sheikh Abdikhar are preaching the gospel of peace, love, and unity among Kenyans.
“This is what should be happening ahead of elections so that Kenyans remain united ahead of elections that are very divisive,” Sheikh Abdullahi told Shahidi News.
While at Garissa Primary School grounds, the clerics called on politicians to conduct peaceful campaigns across the country.
“Every time we get to elections, tensions start building and we have to deal with this so that we can have peaceful elections,” he said.
He added, “We all remember what happened in 2007 when hundreds of innocent lives were lost as a result of election violence and this was due to careless utterances by politicians.”
According to Sheikh Abdullahi, Kenyans need to know that they have a country before and after elections.
“It is a responsibility of every Kenyan to guard this peace and tranquillity that we are currently enjoying,” he said.
Sheikh Abdikhar, General Secretary of Garissa Interfaith Group said the outfit was ready to carry out peace meetings across the country.
He castigated politicians for causing what he termed as unnecessary utterances that lead to political violence in the country.
“It is my humble appeal to our politicians to be ambassadors of peace by use of their power. They understand the influence and following they command among their supporters and they should always weigh their words before uttering them,” he said.
Abdikhar urged residents of the region to be on the lookout for warmongers and inciters, noting that such people who thrive on dividing the electorate and causing bloodshed, cannot be trusted with leadership positions.
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