• Commission says elders can play big role in peace as 'police cannot be everywhere'
• It will partner with Devolution to make them ambassadors of peace
The National Cohesion Integration Commission has rolled out a programme to reach out to local communities to preach ethnic harmony ahead of the 2022 General Elections.
Commission advocacy assistant director Killian Nyambu said constant communal flare-ups experienced in every other election in the country can be solved if community leaders warm up to peace initiatives.
"The elders and other leaders in any community have the primary advantage of receiving prior warnings and if they are educated early enough, they play a fundamental role in sustaining peace and thus forestall many of the conflicts that erupt in the country," Nyambu said.
The NCIC official was speaking in Kilgoris, Narok county, yesterday during an elders' forum. He said many lives had been lost in "senseless skirmishes that could be curbed through the intervention of elders".
He said early interventions could forestall many of the skirmishes which snowball into long-running and large scale tribal conflicts that end up causing wanton destruction to property.
Nyambu added that the commission will partner with the Ministry of Devolution to ensure village elders from various communities, especially flashpoints where there had been violence, are trained as ambassadors peace.
He said while police play a critical role in ensuring security for all, they cannot be everywhere whenever there is tension.
"We can't have them everywhere but we have village elders all over who can help either relay intelligence or cool down tempers among the warring youth from their communities," he said.
In view of this, Nyambu said there is a need for Kenyan to be taught the value of living with each other in the spirit of brotherhood.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)