KENYA: Kenyan Catholic Nuns in Juba Pray for Peaceful Leader as Home Country Goes into General Election
Ginaba Lino
As Kenyans were voting for their fifth president to take over from Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, Kenyan Catholic Sisters residing in South Sudan expressed their their prayer and expectation for peace and unity in the next president.
Speaking during the voting at Kenyan Embassy in Juba on Tuesday, 9th August 2022, Sr. Caroline Njeru, a Sister of the congregation of Daughters of St. Paul stated that the new leader should promote peace, unity and love among the people of Kenya. Sr Njeru added that whoever will win or lose the election should promote peace, unity, and let the Country progress.
“Before coming, we went to register ourselves because we also wanted to participate. So we had to transfer our registration to the Kenyan embassy, and today it was very easy to vote.”
She said, Kenya was so co-operative with its embassy in South Sudan to organize for the Kenyans living in South Sudan to cast their vote in Juba because traveling to Kenya could be costly. “Traveling to Kenya meant you have to provide for you transport which is very expensive, and it was going to affect our work.”
Sr Njeru urges all Kenyans not hurt each other due to the election but to continue peacefuly with their life. Other Kenyans living in South Siudan also expressed gratitude that though in diaspora, they could exercise their democratic right as citizens of their nation.
“Today in Kenya is a voting election day and I have come to cast my vote, a democratic right to me and every Kenyan,” said one of them adding, “I think we Kenyans we have passed through many things, but this time we want peace. I’m urging even those who are in Kenya to maintain peace in every places we don’t want to violence again that one got finish long time.”
The General Elections were held in Kenya on Tuesday, 9th August 2022. Voters elected the President, members of the National Assembly and Senate, County governors and Members of the 47 County Assemblies.
The incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta has exhausted his two-terms as required by the country’s Constitution. However, the reports show that the 2022 General Elections has been met with voter apathy.
