Mombasa — His Grace Archbishop Boniface Lele, of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa, has urged Kenyans to uphold and maintain peace in the forthcoming General Elections.

"Dear Christians and all people of good will, lets choose peace for our beloved country Kenya before during and after the general election. We can only do that by transcending our ethnic affiliations, voting good leaders capable of serving people without discrimination and rejecting all forms of pre and post election violence," he said adding that "the Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to love one another and avoid harming our neighbours."

In a circular issued to media houses, Archbishop Lele urged every Kenyan to prepare themselves to accept the winner of the elections despite the ethnic community they come from. "Our Nation belongs to all the diverse ethnic communities found in the same land and whoever emerges the winner after the General Election should be accepted and respected by all as the choice of majority Kenyans," he said.

The Archbishop further advised Kenyans to desist from persuading others to vote for a preferred candidate after the campaign period is over and further advised that no one should impose political candidates on Kenyans, but instead let Kenyans practice their democratic right.

Archbishop Lele noted that any dispute(s) arising from the results should be referred to the reformed judicial system rather than resorting to violence. "Political violence cannot resolve election disputes and neither can it be justified under any circumstance," he said.