Wednesday, August 4, 2010

PEACE, LOVE & UNITY

As the referendum starts and ends today, we should be ready to accept the outcome whichever side wins.

We all want to live in a better world, and in the same vein, we should thirst for a better Kenya. The power is in us.

The words "peace, love and unity" should resonate in our minds during and after today’s historic event. God bless Kenya.

{Biko Ogweno, Mbita}

Today is the day wananchi have long been eagerly awaiting. Fellow Kenyans, as we vote, let us maintain peace and unity during and after voting.

Whether ‘Red’ or ‘Green’, let ‘White’ prevail. Let us vote and peacefully accept the results.

{Charles Mwangi, Nairobi}

As voting booths open, Kenyans want to see a peaceful referendum vote, and we will be waiting in high spirits for the outcome.

This has been one rough journey and we are now at the finish line. The relentless campaigns by the Red and Green camps shows that each team expects to emerge victorious. But there can only be one winner.

Despite the outcome, the most important thing is the state of our nation after the vote. Kenyans, we have lived peacefully as brothers and sisters. Let this referendum not tear us apart. Let us avoid activities that may take us back to the bloody post-election chaos. We must not, once again, wallow in the innocent blood of our brothers and sisters.

The struggle for a new constitution has been one long, rainy journey. It has taken a long time to write this document and now is the time for delivery. The Red and Green captains have done their job and now the pregnant Kenya is in the delivery room. It is the hope of many that the baby constitution is born safely, but should it die, let us not kill the mother.

As Chinua Achebe once said, it is better the water spill than the pot break. An empty pot can be taken back to the river. This should be a comforting clause for both parties.

We will need each other after the vote.

{Leonard Omwenga, via e-mail}

As we go to the ballot today, it should be clear in our minds that the vote is not about an individual but how we want the country to be governed today, and in posterity.

Your vote is a powerful tool if well used; it can shape a brighter future for this nation. Kenyans should turn out in large numbers and make their choice known.

Most important, let us maintain the kind of peace and brotherhood that was demonstrated by our sportsmen and women recently.

We should also draw lessons from the show of patriotism that was depicted at the weekend at Nyayo National Stadium when people from all walks of life came out in large numbers without thinking about tribal or racial differences.

If every one of us was to put into practice the words of the National Anthem, no one would think of harming another. Finally, it should be clear in everyone’s mind that even after we pass the new constitution, things will not change overnight. To see the change we desire, it is incumbent upon us to change the way we do things.

No matter how good the new constitution is, unless change comes from within, it will be an exercise in futility.

{Macdonald Ogambi, Nairobi}

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