Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has called for issue-based, constructive and mature politics as Kenya prepares for the 2027 General Election.
Speaking at Queen of All Saints Catholic Gaichanjiru Parish in Murang’a County on Sunday during centenary celebrations for St. Raphael Hospital, Kindiki said national unity and peaceful coexistence are not negotiable.
He urged Kenyans to tolerate one another and reject politicians who use divisive rhetoric to fuel ethnic tensions.
“Let us tolerate each other, even if we come from different regions. Let us not use that opportunity to disrupt the peace of our communities and the peace of the nation because politics is competition for leadership, and it is for a while. Once it passes, we will remain as one people and we will remain as one country,” he said.
Kindiki also called on the Mt. Kenya region to remain united, dismissing calls to divide the region along political lines.
“Do not be used to disrupt the peace of the community, to insult or fight your brother or your parents, or destroy the property of your neighbours because matters of politics will pass,” he said.
He urged leaders to compete based on their development records rather than ethnic or divisive politics.
“If it is competition, let us compete on the work the leaders have done. I bring my record, and the other brings their record of what they did. The winner becomes our leader, and the one who does not win waits for the next opportunity,” Kindiki said.
The Deputy President vowed to defend national and regional unity, saying political competition should not undermine Kenya’s peace and development.
“I am here to confirm that we will defend the unity of our nation with all our strength, with all our might, with all our resources and with all our intellect. We cannot allow the unity of our country to be undermined,” he said.
Kindiki also praised the Catholic Church for its contribution to education, healthcare and socio-economic development, citing the more than 100-year-old Gaichanjiru Mission Hospital.
He said the government considers the Church a key partner in its development agenda.
“The Church is the biggest stakeholder of the Government in matters of development of the nation,” Kindiki said.
On development, Kindiki said the Kenya Kwanza administration is committed to completing stalled projects across the country.
He said the government has paid more than 177 billion shillings owed to contractors, allowing work to resume on more than 6,000 kilometres of roads.
In Murang’a, Kindiki said several roads are under construction, including the Mutoho-Manju-Kagumoini road and the Makenji-Karima Mwaro-Kandara road.