Isiolo elders urge residents to shun violence, protests

Elders in Isiolo County have called on residents to avoid divisive politics and to avoid being politicians who seek to divide them along ethnic lines as they seek political seats in the county.

Speaking on Monday in a council of elders meeting held at Isiolo Town, the chairperson of the National Council of Elders Mr Phares Ruteere urged the county residents not to engage in unruly political protests, warning that the so called peaceful protests could be a recipe for disaster at this election period.

Ruteere further called for respect of elected leaders and clear separation of powers between the county government officials and representatives of the national government in an apparent reference to the recent altercation pitting Isiolo Governor Godana Doyo and County Commissioner George Natembeya over the state of the Isiolo Referral Hospital.

“I urged the hospital leadership to use the right channels to express their grievances, they should remember that drugs cannot be bought by complaining through the media,” quipped Ruteere.

Council Treasurer Sheikh Ahmed Set who was also present at the meeting called upon members of the public to refrain from any activities that threaten the common good of the citizens, adding that business people stand to lose if residents engage in demonstrations.

The elders agreed that outstanding issues in the county would be solved through dialogue.