Praying for Peace in Kenya

With the elections scheduled to be held on August 9th, politicians are busy canvassing for votes. My hometown of Kiserian is awash with campaign posters. And some deep-pocketed politicians have campaign cars with loudspeakers.
A month ago when I went to Kiserian for my daily walk, I saw a huge crowd in the town. I soon learnt that William Ruto, one of the leading presidential candidates, was to visit the town.
Sure, he did come. The crowd he addressed caused a snarl-up in the town. And it was so huge I couldn't get space to walk, making me take an alternative route as Ruto's voice boomed in the town.
I passed by a young man who was exclaiming in low tones, "Azimio! Azimio! Azimio!" (Azimio is the political movement of Raila Odinga, Ruto's main challenger in the presidential race.)
Then two weeks ago when I went to Kiserian for my walk, I found Raila addressing a huge crowd on the same spot Ruto had. He also caused a snarl-up in the town, something I heard one man complain about.
The loudspeakers carrying Raila's voice had some issues. But I heard him say something along these lines: "Kuna shida nne zinazokabili nchi yetu: ujinga, ugonjwa, umaskini na ufisadi. (Our nation is facing four problems: illiteracy, disease, poverty and corruption.)"
Although the two leading presidential candidates are making waves in the country, I'm not keen on who should win. I'm just praying for peace because I would hate it if our country plunged into chaos like it did in December 2007 when that year's presidential elections were disputed.
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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story, you might also enjoy "The People of Kenya".
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