NCIC chairman Francis Ole Kaparo speaks to the press in Eldoret on June 21, 2017. [Photo: hivisasa.com]
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) chairman Francis Ole Kaparo has asked Kenyans to embrace peace and unity despite their political differences.
Speaking in Eldoret during a meeting with Elders from different communities as well as religious leaders from Uasin Gishu county, Wednesday, Ole Kaparo reiterated the need for every Kenyan to be allowed to exercise their democratic right to elect their preferred leaders peacefully.
He raised concerns that some utterances being made by politicians in the county risk causing ethnic divisions among the locals and threatens democracy.
"Candidates must allow the people to freely choose who they will vote for as that is their constitutional right," Ole Kaparo noted.
The former National Assembly Speaker told Kenyans to shun leaders out to cause violence and ethnic divisions for their selfish interest.
"It's not must that you have to die for someone to ascend to power. We have a duty to ensure we live in peace and participate in the August polls peacefully," noted Ole Kaparo.
The NCIC chairman is on Thursday scheduled to meet all candidates eyeing various elective positions in Uasin Gishu in a deliberate move to cool the rising political temperatures which are as a result of a bruising political rivalry between gubernatorial candidates Governor Jackson Mandago and billionaire businessman Bundotich Zedekiah Kiprop better known as Buzeki.