[Supkem Secretary General Hassan ole Naado with other Muslim leaders.] (the-star.co.ke)
The Muslim faithful will not back any presidential contender during the fourth coming general election, Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) has said.
Supkem Secretary General Hassan ole Naado said the Supkem will be autonomous but said individual members will be free to elect leaders they prefer.
“We are not supporting any leader seeking a political seat. Supkem is part of the election observer board. It has to be fair and nonpartisan,” Hassan said.
He, however, told the Muslim community to elect leaders based on their development record.
The cleric said leaders with a clean track record have the ability to transform people’s lives.
He told Kenyans to maintain peace during the electioneering period.
“We must respect those with divergent views and not use force to pressure others into supporting politicians they do not prefer,” he said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga are the key contenders in the August presidential race with the main coalitions being Jubilee and the National Super Alliance (NASA).
Political analysts say the poll will be one of the closely contested since Kenya was granted independence by Britain in 1963.
Apart from Raila and Uhuru, there are six other presidential aspirants looking forward to occupy State House between 2017 and 2022.