The Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya has accused Cord of frustrating the Jubilee government’s move to issue 60,000 title deeds to Coast residents. Speaking during a press briefing in their offices at the weekend, CIPK organising secretary Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa said Cord leaders should stop misleading Kenyans. The clerics said they support the move by the government to issue title deeds because this is a problem that has been there since independence. "We should not follow leaders who want to cause confusion and bad blood among Kenyans. The same leaders opposing the move spearheaded issuance of title deeds to Coast residents while in power during the Kibaki-Raila regime,” Sheikh Khalifa said. He said it is hard to understand why Cord leaders want Coast residents to reject the title deeds yet the government is working in good faith to solve the squatter problem. The leaders opposed the referendum calls by Cord to amend the constitution to adopt the parliamentary system of governance. Former nominated MP and CIPK secretary general Sheikh Mohammed Dor asked the leaders to address their issues in the National Assembly and the Senate instead. "A referendum at the moment will be costly to the nation. It is Kenyans who will have dig into their pockets to fund the referendum," Dor said. He urged Kenyans to be peaceful and support the government to ensure that all election pledges are fulfilled. "Those who want the government to deliver should give them more time. This is a new government under a new structure of leadership. We should be patient and supportive," Dor said. "The same leaders who want a referendum do not want to agree with court rulings and have little faith in the IEBC," the former MP said. Dor said the focus should be on development projects towards education health sector and business to compete effectively with other nations. At the same time, the Muslim clerics rejected the plot by Jubilee to amend the constitution to have an age limit of 70 years for a candidate to run for presidency. "As long as a leader is of sound mind, healthy and elected by Kenyans, we should not look at age limit factor because leadership is not about age," Sheikh Khalifa said. Cord leader Raila Odinga has condemned the move by the Deputy President William Ruto over issuance of title deeds saying Coast residents should oppose the move. In response to the former Prime Minister’s statement, Ruto cautioned Kenyans to be wary of leaders who are against reforms.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 08:00:07 +0000
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