A conservation and peace group staged a procession over the weekend in Narok to educate residents on the importance of preserving nature and promoting peace.
The group was under the Osiligi Girls Empowerment Network, including Maasai Mara University students from the Wildlife and Environment Club and Mashinani promotion.They marched from National Museums of Kenya in Narok around the town.
They held posters and placards with messages encouraging locals to protect the environment, plant trees and maintain peace ahead of the August 9 polls.
Each participant planted a tree along the way.
Osiligi Girls Empowerment Network CEO Susan Kasero said as the country approaches the polls, people should remember "different types of trees are planted together and grow together without problems".
“Narok people should live in peace and avoid engaging in issues disrupting the harmony they have had for a long time," Kasero said.
Retired Captain Daniel Kihanya, the director of the Mashinani Promotion, said they are involving youth to preach peace because they have been manipulated to engage in violence.
“Young people are the most vulnerable and they should not be misused by politicians who take advantage of them and later disappear,"Kihanya. said
Peace and conservation activities offer a way for the local youth from different backgrounds to interact and share their cultural beliefs, thus becoming more tolerant, Kihanya said.
"We want to inculcate a sense of tolerance among all communities so we avoid what occurred in the 2007 poll by concentrating more efforts on youths since they are the ones engaging in violence but can also be agents of peace," he sad.
