Garissa County: Garissa County Security apparatus has assured the area residents of a peaceful elections come August 8 2017.
Addressing aspiring Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), youth groups, women and faith leaders during a meeting convened by Act!, Garissa Deputy County Commissioner Mr, Hiddi Galgalo said that the government will bolster security to ensure that both the electioneering period and the actual voting are held in a peaceful environment.
Mr.Galgalo stressed the need to have peaceful co-existence during and after the elections. He called on the aspirants to ensure they conduct their campaigns in a peaceful manner as the general elections near.
“Elections come after every five years. There are those who will win and lose. It is not a matter of life and death as has been widely viewed. Let us all come together as Kenyans and work for the good of this country”, he said.
The aspirants called on the electoral body to ensure the elections were free, fair and credible. They noted that every credible vote was crucial in restoring public confidence and restoring the much needed peace and stability in the country.
Act! Program Officer in Garissa, Ms.Kaltuma Abdirahman said the forum was one of the many initiatives that Act! was spearheading in promoting peaceful co-existence of communities ahead and after the general elections.
“We saw the need to use our conflict mitigation experience in bringing together all stakeholders in the County to dialogue and have a common ground on how best peaceful elections can be realized within the county,” she said.
“Free, Fair and Peaceful elections has been our core message in all our engagements when meeting with various elections stakeholders. We thank Act! and other stakeholders who have come in to support us in this noble cause,” added Galgalo.
Mr. Galgallo further urged the residents and election candidates to continue working closely with the security apparatus and other key stakeholders to ensure that peace prevails during the elections period.
“We have witnessed young people being misused by self-seeking politicians to cause chaos. I implore upon them to desist from these acts because at the end of it all, they are the ones to lose,” he said.
The meeting ended with the more than 30 MCA candidates taking personal commitment to uphold peace during and after the elections.
