Kenyan president warns against violence ahead of August polls

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday warned against violence as the country gears up for the August election, saying his government will deal firmly with those out to threaten citizens over politics.

Speaking in the coastal city of Mombasa, Kenyatta said the government will not stand by and watch politicians incite Kenyans to fight each other because of politics.

"There is no need to risk the lives of Kenyans because of petty politics," he said.

Kenyatta challenged politicians to avoid insults and to embrace mature politics that will give room for people to choose their leaders without coercion.

"We have no time to quarrel with anyone but to implement development projects which will uplift the lives of all Kenyans," he added.

He also urged the people of the coastal region to guard against people who are out to disrupt the existing peace and harmony, saying the region largely depends on tourism which cannot thrive amid instability.

As Kenya prepares for the August polls, both sides of the political divide have taken hard-line positions on how the process should be conducted.

Kenyatta has maintained that the August elections will be free and fair, but his opposition rivals have raised concern over unsettled legal and institutional hiccups that they say might undermine the process.

The opposition is threatening protests over a proposed amendment to the country's electoral law which was being debated by the Senate on Thursday.

The amendment bill, which was passed by Parliament late last month, would allow manual voting and also allow the commission to manually submit election results in case biometric voter technology fails during the August election.

The country's electoral body has said political wrangles and tension over the amendment may delay preparations for the country's upcoming elections. Endit