Kalonzo calls for truce among political leaders

WEDNESDAY, 14 MARCH 2012 00:05 BY WALTER MENYA

RECONCILE: Kalonzo Musyoka

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has called for a truce among leaders of different political parties ahead of the General Election in order to avoid a repeat of the post-election violence. Kalonzo who was closing the two-day National Cohesion and Integration Commission conference on ethnic diversity appealed to leaders to amplify the unity call in order to promote development

The NCIC conference on the theme ‘The Peoples Conference: National Diversity, Race and Ethnicity’ that started Monday brought together more than 300 delegates from the 47 counties countrywide. “We must resist the temptation to amplify our differences thereby leading to conflict and instead focus on the things that unite us as a nation,” Kalonzo said. He said he was disturbed by calls from western countries to have the general election date announced. In a country like Britain the PM uses the election date as a weapon because it is never announced early, Kalonzo claimed.

Uncertainty has been created following a recent statement in which President Kibaki indicated his preference for having the elections in March next year. Kibaki had earlier on indicated his preference for a December election date which is also what Kalonzo and Prime Minister Raila Odinga have said is there preference.

Kalonzo said he was confident that the country will never again experience the post election violence. “Its as if we are are being recolonised. The fear of the Mzungu (white people ) is that Africans can erupt anytime into a fire of violence, " Kalonzo said. The VP said NCIC offered the key to consolidating the Kenyan nationhood and building inter-community harmony that will ensure the situation witnessed after 2007 election does not happen again.

Kalonzo called on Kenyans to work for the collective good while discouraging people from worthless fixation on “our small differences.” “We must emphasise the importance of building Kenya into a communal home where each irrespective of their ethnic background feel totally embraced, involved and recognized. We owe ourselves the duty and obligation to make the most and the best out of or diversity. In diversity, we find not only colour, beauty and choice but we also have strength,” Kalonzo

Prime Minister Raila Odinga had on Monday launched NCIC’s campaign dubbed Kenya Kwanza (Kenya First) to reinforce the call for unity and patriotism. And yesterday, Kalonzo suggested that the campaign uses champions to drive its message of national cohesion and integration both here and among Kenyans in diaspora.