Religious leaders in Taita Taveta County say they will not bow to financial or political influence but will be at the forefront to help decide how the country should be led.
Speaking during an interreligious Election Peace Forum in Mwatate, clerics said they will conduct civic education countywide so that residents can make informed choices in the August General Election.
The pledge comes amid criticism that clerics are embracing politicians who use places of worship as vote-hunting grounds by donating stolen money to woo congregants.
The leaders said Kenyans are enduring a high cost of living because of a weak economy and need to vote out politicians who have failed to improve livelihoods.
They said unemployment, high taxes, poor healthcare services, low education standards, a high cost of living, insecurity, a huge public debt and costly farm inputs continue to impoverish residents.
The public awareness campaign will help congregants identify political parties and candidates they should associate, said Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Bishop Liverson Mngoda.
Continuous civic education, he said, is needed in Taveta, Voi, Mwatate and Wundanyi sub-counties to help residents understand their role as voters.
“The voters must understand their rights and responsibilities, and they must know it is their responsibility to participate meaningfully in the electoral process. We must participate because we are also affected by poor or good leadership,” he said.
He urged his counterparts not to shy away from educating their flock about what they should look for in a leader to help them vote for good leadership on August 9.
“We must be at the forefront in giving a political direction to our members. There is nothing ungodly about doing that,” he said.
The forum brought together religious leaders from local churches, the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) and the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) as part of efforts to maintain peaceful coexistence during election campaigns.
Supkem branch chairperson Afiz Nyambu said mosques will also sensitise their members on voting wisely and maintaining peace.
“A peaceful community attracts development, which improves the lives of locals. It is important to preach peace during this critical period,” he said.
The Association of Kenya Elders (Take) Coast branch Executive Director Philip Otiang’i noted the need for clerics to take part in political affairs.
“They should raise their voices against poor leadership in this country. There is a need for them to call out bad leaders and that is being responsive to issues affecting their members,” he said.
He added: “This programme is meant to bring peace and development to our community. We will evaluate the programme after the election to determine whether there was any impact on the society.”
The programme will also target young people, with clerics urging them to avoid being used by politicians to cause chaos during campaigns. BY DAILY NATION