Njuri Njeke Council of elders Secretary General Josephat Murangiri on Thursday, August 18, lauded the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for conducting free, fair, and transparent elections.
Speaking in Meru, Murangiri lauded IEBC for conducting a credible election that saw William Ruto declared president-elect, edging out his opponent Raila Odinga.
“The decision by Kenyans is final, Kenyans have decided it is William Ruto as the President of Kenya. everyone should stand with him and we need to support him,” Murangiri noted.
The Council of elders Secretary General also said that leaders who lost the August polls should accept the outcome and not peddle lies that could divide Kenyans.
“IEBC work was to combine and show who won, they have even gone ahead to share a public portal, therefore we should not tell Kenyans lies to cause violence,” Murangiri stated
The Njuri Njeke Council of elders endorsed the Azimio leader on July 26 in a ceremonial event witnessed by former governor Kiraitu Murungi (who lost his bid to defend his seat) and CS Peter Munya in Tigania West, Meru County.
Odinga was the chief guest at the Nchiru Shrine in a ceremony where he was installed as an elder and received blessings from the community ahead of the elections.
The Njuri Njeke blessings is the biggest show of trust in accordance with the Meru traditions which have only previously been accorded to the late Presidents Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki as well as President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The move by Njuri Njeke elders comes days after the former Prime Minister rejected presidential results claiming that the IEBC Commission committed irregularities in announcing Ruto as president-elect.
For decades, the Njuri Njeke Council of elders has been anointing leaders from the Mt. Kenya region in the run up to elections. The elders have also been commended for promoting peaceful coexistence.
For instance, in May 2022, the Council's Secretary-General Murangiri pointed out that there was a need for Kiraitu and Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, whom he referred to as the face of the region, to reconcile for the sake of common political interest of the region.
The Council of Elders had previously accused a section of the political leaders in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance of unfairly targeting the Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti.
