Deputy President (DP) William Ruto on Tuesday said never again will Kenyans fight because of politics.
Instead, the DP said the government will work towards fostering national cohesion.
Mr Ruto spoke on Tuesday when he attended the 63rd National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) General Assembly at Jumuia conference in Kikambala, Kilifi County, where he was accompanied by Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo.
“Those of us in leadership including my boss President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Jubilee government in general, we will never return this country into the dark days of ethnicity and tribal affiliations,” he said.
He added: “As long as we are in politics now, never again will this country witness the animosity and tribal utterances that had characterised every election.”
The DP revisited the 2017 General Election where he said the Jubilee government trounced their opponents (Nasa) after campaigning on the development agenda they had initiated when they were elected to office in 2013.
“Our win in 2013 General Election was based on the emotive issue of the ICC cases. But in 2017, we changed the narrative and that caught our opponents by surprise. They could not challenge us on the development,” he said.
He added: ” When we talked about the Standard Gauge Railway it was there for the Kenyans to see, so did the household electricity connection,” he said.
Mr Ruto told the church to speak openly and without fear the challenges facing the country, adding that the days when the church was threatened by politicians and those in power is long gone.
“The days when the likes of Mr Timothy Njoya were beaten senseless for speaking their mind is long gone. In fact, public participation and free airing of views is a constitutional right for every Kenyan. I am saying here that no one will be victimised for speaking their minds on the challenges this country is facing, be it political, socio-economic or development,” he added.
The DP said the building bridges initiative is a good gesture to take the country forward and that there is still a lot of work to be done as the country move towards more progressive projects in future.
“There is still work to be done and we are committed to that. From where we stand, we can only make more strides further and not return back,” he said.
The DP rooted for more enrolment of students in the technical and vocational institutions, saying the government is currently investing a lot in providing the technical education which had been overlooked for many years.
NCCK Secretary General Rev Canon Peter Karanja said the extensive and corrosive nature of corruption in Kenyan may need a more honest and collaborative approach to achieve lasting solutions.
“We hope that you will find a formula that will enable the nation to turn over a new leaf in the fight against corruption,” he said.