Coast region Supkem chairman Sheriff Muhdhar Khittamy addressing a security forum in Mombasa. [Photo/ Maxwell Ngala].
Muslim clerics have been urged to preach peace and coexistence among residents in the Coast region to avert ethnic hatred.Coast region SUPKEM chair Sheriff Muhdhar Khittamy said the region was experiencing calm despite the political division experienced in other parts of the country.Khittamy said peace should be at the heart of everyone in the Coast region, specifically religious leaders.He warned that with the current political stalemate being witnessed in the country, the region risks being affected if religious leaders remained silent and allowed politicians to divide residents along tribal and political lines.The cleric said peace should always be the top agenda of religious leaders and not just during the electioneering period.Khittamy said religious leaders should be non-partisan and always preach peace and unity among locals in the region and avoid taking political stands since it will ruin their mandate of uniting residents.“We have many issues going on in the country, tribal divisions, political clashes and hatred among many Kenyans. We religious leaders should play our role in uniting all Kenyans,” said Khittamy.He, however, appealed to the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to work together with religious leaders so as to unite the region.Khittamy said NCIC has been criticised following its laxity and the current chair Francis Ole Kaparo should defend himself by working closely with religious leaders.“NCIC should stretch hands so as to that we work together, it should be proactive by always preaching peace and discussing unity matters with them at the grassroots level,” he said.Khittamy called on the political leaders at the Coast to ensure that they always preach peace since divisive politics would affect the regions unity, co-existence and economy.