President Kenyatta and Cord leader Raila Odinga are increasingly coming under pressure from 
President Kenyatta and Cord leader Raila Odinga are increasingly coming under pressure from Western countries to consult for national peace.
The United States, Britain and the European Union have urged the two leaders to work together and unify Kenyans instead of the political rhetoric.
US ambassador Robert Godec and UK High Commissioner Christian Turner have reached out to Mr Odinga to drop the aggressive way of seeking national dialogue and offered to approach the government with a proposal for talks in a peaceful manner.
The pleas came as the Inter-religious Council called national prayers at Uhuru Park on Saturday.
Elders from coast, western and central Kenya expressed their opposition to the showdown on Saba Saba Day and asked President Kenyatta and the former Prime Minister to find ways of reducing tension.
On Tuesday, Mr Odinga declared that Saba Saba rally would go on and urged supporters who will turn up for the meeting at Uhuru Park on Monday to maintain peace.
He urged police to provide security during the meeting, which he says, will reach a resolution on how to tackle corruption, insecurity, threats to devolution, the electoral process, national inclusivity and international isolation.
On their part, President Kenyatta and his deputy have ruled out convening the national dialogue conference, vowing that they will not be diverted from delivering their pledges to the public.
Mr Godec, in response to questions by the Nation, urged the Jubilee administration and Cord leaders to seek a peaceful way of solving challenges facing the country without playing into the hands of terrorism agents.
“I have urged all of Kenya’s leaders to reach out to one another and avoid inflammatory rhetoric. Kenya’s future... requires a focus on security while building bridges to the many communities,” he said.
“The US remains a committed partner and will continue to work side by side with Kenya,” he said.
UK’s Dr Turner called on the government and Cord to avoid actions that can result in violence. He said Kenya needed peace to progress and urged the two sides to work together, reduce the rising tension and direct their energy towards delivering service to the people.
“We cannot allow myths and conspiracies to distract us from where our combined efforts need to be,” he said in a statement by High Commission spokesman Stephen Burns.
EU Ambassador Lodewijk Briet urged the two sides to seek a fresh way of discussing and solving the challenges facing the country.
“The EU feels that all leaders should focus on the everyday concerns of Kenyans; issues such as food prices and jobs,” he said.
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