President Kenyatta assures peace as country enters election year

President Uhuru Kenyatta has pledged to ensure that Kenyans enjoy peace even as the country enters the election year 2017.

Speaking while delivering the end of year address to the nation on Saturday, President Kenyatta said that he would not allow anyone to drive the country into violence.

“We will fight such efforts with every legal and political tool at our disposal. We have not worked this hard as a people to be diverted to a useless and violent destination by individuals who have so little to offer”, he said.

This comes just days after the opposition CORD coalition suspended its planned mass action on January 4 in protest of the passage of amendments to negotiated electoral laws and regulations to await Senate’s debate on the matter.

Cord principals Moses Wetang’ula, Kalonzo Musyoka and Raila Odinga had also accused President Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party of frustrating justice.

Earlier, the House, dominated by Jubilee lawmakers, had passed all proposed changes to Elections Laws (Amended) Act amid protests from opposition legislators.

The changes reinstated provisions for manual identification of voters and manual transmission of results in case the electronic system fails.

The call to mass action came under sharp criticism by Jubilee lawmakers and the clergy who said it could lead to violence and loss of life.

A special sitting by Senate to discuss the laws was moved to Thursday this week to continue debate on the matter.