A Kenyan bishop has challenged President Uhuru Kenyatta to meet with opposition leaders to resolve differences that have led to violent weekly demonstrations in advance of next year’s elections.
At least two demonstrators were killed in police fire as opposition supporters in Kisumu, a town on Lake Victoria, burnt tyres, looted and blocked roads in a “day of rage” protest called for by opposition leaders on Monday to demonstrate claimed bias towards the incumbent president by the country’s electoral commission.
Bishop Cornelius Arap Korir of Eldoret, chairman of the of Kenyan bishops' conference Justice and Peace Commission met with opposition leader Raila Odinga, a former prime minister, and Issac Hassan, election commission chairman, in an attempt to resolve the differences. It was necessary for the government to meet with the opposition because the demonstrations have led to growing tensions that could mar the elections, he told the Catholic News Service.
Raila Odinga is said to have recently met with Kenyatta in Nairobi and reportedly both sides agreed to name a team of negotiators to end the protests. Odinga named five negotiators soon after the meeting. The government, however, refused to name its team. No future meetings are planned. Odinga later announced that demonstrations will continue because the government was not ready to address existing grievances.
As tensions build, Bishop Korir vowed to continue to work to unite both parties in an effort to prevent the ethnic violence that occurred after the December 2007 presidential election when 1,200 people were killed and 600,000 were forced to flee their homes. Bishop Korir welcomed thousands of displaced people into the Eldoret cathedral during the fighting.
At least two demonstrators were killed in police fire as opposition supporters in Kisumu, a town on Lake Victoria, burnt tyres, looted and blocked roads in a “day of rage” protest called for by opposition leaders on Monday to demonstrate claimed bias towards the incumbent president by the country’s electoral commission.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which was appointed by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, is organising the general election in August next year. But the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), a coalition of multiple political parties led by opposition leader Raila Odinga, has accused the IEBC of being corrupt and lacking integrity.
Protests against the commission, which have been staged every Monday since last month, have been largely peaceful until violence this week. At least three people died in demonstrations in western Kenya on May 23, two of them when anti-riot police opened fire in Siaya, while a third fatality, according to police, resulted from a fall while fleeing from tear gas in Kisumu. A six-year old boy was also shot by accident by a stray bullet while he was standing outside his house near the protests. "This is not fair. We cannot have police shooting people every other time they are exercising their rights. This man has been shot dead while protesting," Michael Omondi, a demonstrator, told the AFP news agency.
Bishop Cornelius Arap Korir of Eldoret, chairman of the of Kenyan bishops' conference Justice and Peace Commission met with opposition leader Raila Odinga, a former prime minister, and Issac Hassan, election commission chairman, in an attempt to resolve the differences. It was necessary for the government to meet with the opposition because the demonstrations have led to growing tensions that could mar the elections, he told the Catholic News Service.
Raila Odinga is said to have recently met with Kenyatta in Nairobi and reportedly both sides agreed to name a team of negotiators to end the protests. Odinga named five negotiators soon after the meeting. The government, however, refused to name its team. No future meetings are planned. Odinga later announced that demonstrations will continue because the government was not ready to address existing grievances.
As tensions build, Bishop Korir vowed to continue to work to unite both parties in an effort to prevent the ethnic violence that occurred after the December 2007 presidential election when 1,200 people were killed and 600,000 were forced to flee their homes. Bishop Korir welcomed thousands of displaced people into the Eldoret cathedral during the fighting.
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