NCCK to Engage Communities on Civic Education, National Cohesion
June 24, 2016
The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has finalized a nationwide programmatic strategy that will see the Council actively participate in the electoral process leading to and after the 2017 general election.
In a statement to Council partners, General Secretary Reverend Canon Peter Karanja, said that NCCK had deliberately re-energized her programmatic arm aimed at deepening NCCK’s engagement with communities.
He assured that the Council shall remain an active player in the democratic governance of Kenya’s affairs. Canon Karanja said: “We shall seek to engage communities on civic education on electoral matters and processes to enable the electorate make informed choices during the election. I hope that as we have always done, we will find ways of deepening our engagement and identifying areas of convergence to secure an acceptable outcome.”
Canon Karanja’s statement came hot on the heels of his meetings with various stakeholders in the electoral process as well as community representatives across the country.
Over the last two weeks alone, the NCCK General Secretary alongside his deputy Dr. Nelson Makanda, have held consultative peace forums with the clergy from Gema, Luhya and Luo communities as well as respective Councils of Elders.
Canon Karanja pointed out that peace, cohesion and integration shall remain the Council’s priority. “We will continue to engage conflicting communities in an authentic intra and inter-ethnic dialogue which profiles enlightened self-interests as opposed to ethnic egos as a basis for collaboration and cooperation,” he affirmed.
The meetings with clergy and elders continue next month, where Canon Karanja and his team are expected to address more gatherings in an elaborate program-dubbed the Pamoja Initiative- that will see participants encouraged to remain on the forefront in fostering national cohesion.
The NCCK’s Pamoja Initiative programme that has been implemented for over 8 years now and is credited for its major contribution to peace after the 2007/2008 Post Election Election Violence.
