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Kenyan president pledges commitment to free, peaceful elections

Xinhua, December 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday expressed his commitment to a free, fair and peaceful general election slated for August 2017.

"Ensuring a fair, free, transparent and credible election process is, therefore, the first goal we must all commit to," he said when addressing the national leadership summit, co-organized by both houses of parliament and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance in the coastal town of Kwale.

The summit, whose theme was competitiveness, nationhood and peaceful elections, brought together leaders of political parties, religious and civil society leaders, captains of industry and parliamentarians to discuss ways of ensuring a peaceful election process.

The East African nation is due to hold its general elections on August 8, 2017 and has been making early preparations to have credible elections and avoid post-election violence like what was witnessed in 2007.

Kenyatta will seek re-election with stiff competition from opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Kenyatta urged leaders at all levels, including the opposition, to join hands in ensuring the country delivers a credible election.

"I am making a firm commitment on behalf of myself and my fellow party members to conduct a peaceful campaign. I urge all leaders to consider signing up to this pledge and most importantly to work towards peaceful elections," the president said.

"We should not let this critically important process be marred by irresponsible and destructive language during the course of political discourse," he added.

Former President Mwai Kibaki and Odinga fiercely contested the 2007 presidential elections, which resulted into a two-month post-election violence.

Odinga claimed that he won the elections, sparking violence in which more than 1,200 people were killed and over 650,000 others displaced.

The violence was also blamed on the fierce competition for a share of the national wealth between the various tribal groups. Most of it had to do with the distribution of land and access to state power. Endit