IEBC chairman Wafula Chibukati at a past function. Photo/courtesy
The Opposition has been urged to refrain from intimidating the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) but allow the commission preside over a repeat of the presidential election within the law.
Clergy of the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA)led by the church`s Archbishop Njoroge Gitau said the opposition`s demand for immediate changes in the electoral body is not tenable given the short timelines of the repeat presidential election slated for October 26th .
“The opposition`s grand standing is bound to be detrimental to the country`s economy in months to come as it is making strategic investors shy away from investing in the country that is struggling to attain its sustainable development goals” he said.
The Archbishop expressed concern at the manner the Opposition is holding the country hostage with its lofty demands prior to the much awaited presidential election rerun that now sits less than a month away, saying the Raila Odinga led coalition is bent on scuttling IEBC and in effect denying patriotic citizens of their democratic right to their leaders of their choice.
He spoke in Nakuru on Sunday during a prayer service where he said the church`s leadership that is in support of national progressive reforms for social cohesion is complementing president Uhuru Kenyatta`s re-election bid by ensuring the President musters overwhelming support from the Church`s faithful across the country.
It should be noted that the opposition demands sweeping changes in the management of the electoral body before it can participate in the repeat elections.
The opposition Principals maintain that a cross section of the managers at IEBC were responsible for electoral malpractices the Supreme Court pointed out in its ruling.
Meanwhile, Nakuru AIPCA Diocese Bishop Naphtali Kariuki has appealed to the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to tame hate mongers prowling the social media as a way of curbing escalating hatred among users for sustainable peace n the country.
“The unregulated platform that is now in pervasive use among millions of young citizens may reverse against that various deliberate peace building drives have painstakingly achieved in recent months,” he said.
He urged the Francis Ole Kaparo led Commission to rein in on irresponsible users of the highly interactive platform as the country heads to the repeat election as a deterrence to hate mongers who he says use social media at the expense of other citizens.
The Bishop observed that inaction by the commission that has already reported a high hate index among citizens after the August polls is increasingly creating a breeding ground for more hate mongers in the country.
At a consultative forum in Naivasha with leaders from Laikipia County last month, NCIC Chairman Francis Ole Kaparo in a news interview told journalists that the commission had established that the last August General election was highly divisive in Nyanza,Western and parts of Rift Valley regions of the Country.