It is the right time to remind the dialogue team to focus on Kenya, put the country first, not personalities or individuals, as they process the views they got from the people and collate them into the final output of the panel.
Critical for them is to embrace the spirit of give and take in finding solutions that will make us move forward as a country by addressing the challenges that have been holding us back after every election.
They should not rush. They should not look at personal or political gains, but should take good time to analyse every matter focusing on the nation. Top on my mind is the question of IEBC because elections are at the centre of the challenges causing tension and death after every five years.
We are of the view that empaneling the team should be all-encompassing, including every player such as civil society, political parties, religious leaders, among others, so that everyone feels included. IEBC should not be decided by one side because it will mostly be biased to its interest. That’s why I insist on this dialogue team putting the interest of the country, not individuals and political divides, a head of everything.
Creating the offices such as that of opposition leader is also critical in ensuring political stability of the nation after every election. It should be well facilitated so that it serves the people of Kenya effectively. I think it is crucial to remind politicians handling these important matters not to look at personalities and individuals.
I know there are people in government who will oppose creation of the office because they see it and think it's Raila Odinga earmarked for it. Those in opposition may support it because once they see it they think Raila will get it. That is a wrong approach.
That seat belongs to Kenyans because you never know who may end up in opposition next time. It is also reasonable because after someone goes around the country campaigning to be President and garnering considerable support, that office should be a fallback should they fail.
National chairperson, Church and Clergy Association of Kenya, spoke to the Star