By Emanuel Tarus, DevReporter, Trans Nzoia County
As the country heads towards 9 August, Kenyans are praying for peaceful elections. Reuben Orone a peace ambassador in Trans Nzoia County has gone a notch higher; he is on a walk from Kitale to Nairobi with a peace message.
In an exclusive interview with Radio Baraza, Orone, a 68 year-old athlete said that he is concerned about the rising political intolerance in the country. That is why he resorted to preaching peace especially in the hotspot counties.
“The National Cohesion and Integration Commission released a report that 23 counties are likely to witness chaos after the elections. Because of that, I decided to play a role of preaching peace, before, during and even after the August 2022 elections ” Orone said.
Dressed in sporting gear and carrying a white flag, Orone said that the country should never ever go back to the 2007/2008 post-election violence situation where over 1,200 people were killed and thousands displaced from their homes.
“If chaos erupts in this country like it happened after the 2007 elections, women, the elderly, children and People With Disabilities (PWDs) will suffer the most. We should not get there”, he added.
With water and some snacks in his bag, Orone who will make several stopovers along the road, will cover a distance of 383 kilometers.
In February this year, the NCIC listed Kisumu, Mombasa, Nairobi, Migori, Kericho, Isiolo, Lamu, Bungoma, Kakamega, Vihiga and Trans Nzoia as hotspots. Others include Marsabit, Kiambu, Nyamira, Homa Bay, Nandi, Bomet, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Garissa and Siaya.
