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Presidential candidates yesterday assured the electorate that they will conduct peaceful campaigns and prevail on their supporters to maintain peace during and after the elections.

The top contenders — Deputy President William Ruto, his Azimio-One Kenya counterpart Raila Odinga, Roots Party leader George Wajackoyah and Agano boss David Mwaure — pledged to campaign on peace platforms.

In a speech read on Raila’s behalf by his deputy chief agent, Carol Karugu, he committed to uphold peace and harmony in the country.

He said his determination to make the election different does not begin at this conference, because has been a long journey.

He reiterated that the journey to peaceful election started when he shook  hands with President Uhuru Kenyatta in March 2018 to bring the country together and work on political systems that so often lead to violence, loss of lives and property.

“No lives. No property. No aspect of Kenya’s economy must be lost because of elections next month. No setting up of tribe against tribe. No setting of one social class against the other, or one faith against another,” said Raila.

He went on: “We have so many things to fix. We do not want this election to linger. I appeal to all Kenyans to embrace peace. Let’s be hopeful for our country.”

Ruto, in a speech read on his behalf by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Veronica Maina, gave his assurance that, in tandem with what he has demonstrated so far through peaceful campaigns, he will continue to ensure he remains even more peaceful in the remaining 28 days to the polls.

He said he would continue to persuasively dialogue with more and more Kenyans in his signature ‘bottom-up’ economic model.

“Ruto is committed to achieve a more peaceful and stable nation where every Kenyan will be dignified and enabled to fully enjoy the human rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya,” said Maina.

The UDA presidential hopeful also wants the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to fully implement Article 86 of the Constitution to ensure simple, accurate, verifiable, secure, accountable and transparent electioneering process.

Respective mandates

“The results’ pathway must also ascribe to the same standard. We believe that every vote cast must count. All the key institutions and stakeholders constitutionally mandated to support this process, should ensure that they carry out their respective mandates.”

His counterpart, Agano Party leader David Mwaure, charged that the eyes and ears of Kenyans, and world, are trained on the politicians, especially the presidential candidates.

“We have a national platform and whatever we prosecute as our manifesto, as our policies and possibilities and plans should be whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — let us talk about such things and discard any language and things that are contrary to such,” said Mwaure.

Mwaure further urged the competitors to fight, condemn and call out evil with decency, comity and decorum. “There is a ‘meme’ doing rounds which states. ‘May your children grow to become like the presidential candidate you support,” he said.

Wajackoyah challenged his fellow competitors not to insult each other during their campaigns, saying nobody should hurl insults at Raila considering his contribution to freedoms and liberties in the country.

“I am here because of the freedoms and liberties Raila fought so hard for. Nobody should insult Raila and others who have sacrificed their lives in fighting for this nation,” said Wajackoyah. He further urged religious leaders not to condemn him in his policies but to pray for him. “Some religious leaders are full of hypocrisy. I do not smoke completely. I am only advocating for the farming of bhang for medicinal and commercial purposes,” he said.