The National Cohesion and Integration Commission has cautioned politicians against inciting youth to cause chaos and violence.
NCIC Commissioner Dr Danvas Makori said politicians should instead be tolerant of each other and promote peaceful coexistence for a favourable political space.
“We want to urge our politicians to stop misusing young people. Schools are about to close, exams are about to take place and many of the youths will be available,” he said.
Makori spoke when he officiated the Amani Clubs induction workshop in Machakos on Thursday.
The two-day workshop was sponsored by NCIC in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Teachers Service Commission. Fifty-five teachers, both primary and secondary schools, who are Amani Clubs coordinators from all counties attended.
“Where there is education, there is a reduction in hostilities especially in hotspot areas,” Makori said.
He said the Amani Clubs had proven effective and communities are living peacefully in areas where the clubs have been initiated in schools.
“We are able to use these clubs to bring communities together," Makori said.
He said Amani Clubs should be strengthened in regions classified as violence hotspots in the country.
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association chairman Indimuli Kahi said the objective of having Amani Clubs in schools was to ensure students were trained to embrace peaceful coexistence in the early stages, whether in or out of school.
Kahi is the Machakos High School principal.
“Lately, we have noticed a lot of challenges in our schools where we have students torching their own schools. It’s important that we now start focusing more on how we can resolve any conflicts that we have within our institutions,” he said.
Kahi said Amani Clubs play important roles especially during this electioneering period.
“We want to use clubs to continue educating our children so that when they are out there, they will be peace ambassadors,” he said.
Kahi encouraged all schools across the country to start Amani Clubs.
“We hope the coordinators, after the training, will go to their counties and pass the same information that will eventually reach all schools to establish the clubs,” Kahi said.
Edited by A.N
