KENYA: Civic Education to Target Youths, Marginalized Groups Prior to Kenya’s General Elections
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Catholic Justice and Peace actors have been urged at a training on advocacy in the context of Kenya’s 2022 General Elections, to prioritize civic education mainly to the youths and marginalized groups who are normally victims of political “propaganda and manipulation,” in most elections.
Speaking to over 30 participants drawn from the Dioceses and representatives from other Catholic institutions and partners, the Deputy General Secretary for Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) Fr. Bernard Ngaruiya said the four-day training expects participants to be well equipped and “to engage their constituencies for triple effect.”
“Our focus as a Church working with State and non-State actors is to ensure the youths are not victims of political propaganda and manipulation,” Fr. Ngaruiya said in the opening remarks Tuesday, February 15, at JJ McCarthy Centre, Nairobi, reminding participants the history of Kenya that “some political aspirants rally young people to do the dirty work of hauling insults at opponents attacking people they perceive as enemies and harming them.”
The Deputy General Secretary acknowledged the significance of the training convened by Catholic Justice and Peace Department (CJPD), KCCB, National office and Misereor Dialogue and Partnership Services (DPS) Kenya and conducted by the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office from South Africa, emphasizing that the country is already witnessing “polarized early political campaigns with reports of incidences of violence, hate speeches, militia groups mostly composed of youths who are engaged by some politicians and or formation to cause mayhem.”
“Our youths should be supported to be responsible citizens. Our civic education should purposely target the youths to raise them from objects used virtuous young people who recognize the value of good neighborliness,” emphasized Fr. Ngaruiya who was addressing participants on behalf of KCCB General Secretary Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo.
In his address, Fr. Ngaruiya expressed his concern that some youths are being bribed to register and participate in political activities saying that, “our youths must be made to know not only their rights but also their responsibilities.”
He further asked the Justice and Peace representatives from the four Metropolitan Sees in Kenya and representatives from Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), Catholic Women Association (CWA), Catholic Men Association (CMA), Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya (AOSK), Religious Superiors Congregation of Kenya (RSCK), the youth, Administration Police and the Military Ordinariate to extend their civic education to women, minorities and other marginalized groups who normally “are not given full opportunity to exercise their democratic rights.”
Additionally he said that thematic areas including preparation towards observation of the 2022 General Elections is significant since “Impartial, credible and objective election observers, play a key role in shaping perception about the quality and legitimacy of elections.”
“Election observation missions however start long before Election Day, this training advocacy in the context of elections will hence equip us with necessary tools of engagement throughout election process,” the Kenyan cleric said emphasizing that credible and peaceful election is a prerequisite for Kenyan’s integral human development.
He added, “You may be required in the near future to observe the political party primaries, assess the voter education, inspect the voter register, continuous voter registration and peacebuilding for peaceful co-existence.”
As part of advocacy training, lobbying for social media users to “refrain from spreading hate speech and fake news for political gains,” should be a component of consideration by peace actors the cleric underscored.
