Kenya’s best hope for peace at election lies with the IEBC

In the next 50 days, the prayer calendar in our church will be dominated by elections.

Our innovative youthful pastor has prepared a guide that will see us dedicate each week to praying for peaceful elections in a cluster of selected counties.

Last Sunday, Pastor was particularly precise in his choice of target, aiming his salvos at those planning violence out there.

"I pray for confusion in their meetings. Let them not agree, God ..."

2007 VIOLENCE
As a fairly good Christian, I intend to join my brethren waging this spiritual battle against election violence until we liberate the 47th county.

Elections – far from being the pillar of democracy they are elsewhere – are the new plague in Kenya after all.

It is of course the sad legacy of the 2007/2008 political turmoil, which left more than 1,000 people dead and uprooted more than 650,000 from their homes.

But I’m under no illusion that this is a battle we will win by prayer alone.

HATE MESSAGES
In the rural trenches where I cut my teeth in faith, warfare folks were always warned against underestimating the enemy.
'Shetani ni mjanja (the Devil is a trickster)', we were told.

In the political elite, all Kenyans fighting to see a peaceful election on August 8 have one hell of a tricky enemy.

We have candidates who show up at an election conference in Nairobi to pledge their commitment to peaceful elections and the next day go to Kajiado to stoke ethnic hate.

POLLS AGENCY
We have others who have no shame going round the country preaching their commitment to free and fair polls knowing too well they have shaken hands with the ballot printer.

Throw in an election referee that increasingly looks to be under political capture, and you have quite a messy picture of August 8 developing.

But it is not all the politician’s fault.

Kenyans, regardless of their social class or level of education, are collectively famed for a propensity to walk into danger with eyes open.

ELECTORAL CRIME
We pray for peaceful elections on Sunday and spend the rest of the week cheering the ethnic warlords at public rallies and on national television.

We extol the exploits of election thieves and then blame them for running a corrupt government.

Election rigging is becoming part of our political culture and a large section of the population is displaying tolerance for it.

THE ALTERNATIVE
Perhaps that is not such a bad thing if you are a fan of the tricky political player, who knows how to win by any means, and national leadership is just another game to you.

But you should also perish the thought that you can rig your way to peaceful elections.

Kenya’s best hope for peace rests in having the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission conduct free, fair and credible polls.

[email protected] @otienootieno