Conduct 2022 elections as scheduled, says Mudavadi
Noah Cheploen @cheploennoah
Amani National Congress (ANC) party leader Musalia Mudavadi yesterday warned against possible postponing of the 2022 General-Election and told the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to fully adhere to the Constitution.
He urged the electoral commission to ensure elections are held as per the timelines stipulated by the Constitution.
Speaking at a meeting with Nakuru Catholic Diocese Bishop Maurice Muhatia, Mudavadi said the law must be followed and adhered to by all at all times.
Calling on the church to speak the truth and lead Kenyans in making the right choices in next year’s General Election, he asked the clergy to remain non-partisan.
Speaking during the second day of his two-day tour of Nakuru county, the former deputy premier said politics of hatred have begun to play out in the cosmopolitan county and the clergy should be at the forefront calling on political leaders to preach peace and not to allow their pulpits be used to play divisive politics.
Unresolved land issues
“The church should speak the truth and point out where things are going wrong. By so doing, it will help in leading Kenyans to the right path,” he said.
Mudavadi urged the people of Nakuru and the Rift Valley to ensure peace prevails as the country heads towards next year’s General-Election.
In particular, the 2022 presidential hopeful asked the government to solve all land issues that have been the root cause of chaos during electioneering period.
“Unresolved land issues have been the source of conflicts in this region leading to terrible ethnic clashes that claim lives. The State should resolve the land issues before elections to avoid clashes. Historical land injustices bestride the area too,” he said.
Speaking during church services at Neema PCEA Church and at Catholic’s Christ the King Cathedral yesterday, Mudavadi said the country’s economy needs to be fixed and his administration will ensure the country is turned from consumption to a production economy that will create jobs for its people.
Muhatia urged the ANC leader to maintain peace in his campaigns even as he expressed fears that seeds of discord had started to be sown by merchants of divisive politics.
The Bishop said Nakuru being cosmopolitan has suffered post-election chaos in the past and asked politicians to ensure the peace that has prevailed in the past two successive election periods are maintained through the 2022 electioneering period.
The prelate reiterated the need for politicians to follow the rule of law at all times as a good example for the masses they lead.
At the same time, Mudavadi also called for the amendment of the Constitution through Parliament to “avoid a situation where we’ll lose everything,” after the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) constitutional amendment bill was challenged in court.
“There has been such a suggestion before and I think time has come for us to think of that route,” he said.
Top in his priority if elected president next year, he said, is to slay the corruption, dragon, cut the national debt and tax reduction to lower the burden on Kenyans.
During a meeting with supporters at Kunste Hotel yesterday, some Nakuru Members of County Assembly endorsed his presidential bid describing the former vice-president as the best candidate to restore the economy, peace and harmony
Led by Leader of Majority Moses Ndung’u and Deputy Majority Whip Wahome Jambo, they vowed to advance Mudavadi’s agenda of reviving the economy and uniting all communities living in the cosmopolitan county.
On Saturday , Mudavadi urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to suspend the finance law that has affected the prices of basic commodities.