Eldoret residents unite in vigil to honour fallen KDF officers

Genesis Youth Family hold placards showing solidarity with Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) as they led Uasin Gishu County residents in holding a vigil to honour fallen heroes killed by Al Shabaab terrorists last week. PHOTOS BY KEVIN TUNOI

Youths in Eldoret led Uasin Gishu residents in honouring the fallen Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers killed in Somalia last week by holding a vigil on Friday night.

The youth lit candles arranged creatively to portray the map of Kenya. Flowers and placards with the hash tag IStandWithKDF punctuated the event that saw patriotic songs and poems sang and recited in honour of the military men as grief overcame some of the attendees who broke into tears.

The North Rift region has been hard hit with the attack in El Adde area in Somalia, with many families still in the dark over the fate of their loved ones. Genesis Youth Family, the organisers of the Street Poetry event, engaged Eldoret-based poets and musicians and provided a platform for attendees to pour out their hearts in lauding the efforts of the soldiers as they condoled the families of the bereaved.

“Preliminary reports show this region was most hit and as Kenyans, we felt our patriotic responsibility would be to publicly stand in solidarity with our heroes and send a strong message that we are unbowed and united against a common enemy,“ said Denis Gicheru, the group‘s chairperson.

Samuel Njoroge, the Coordinator of the group, said they embraced poetry to easily express their thoughts with the affected families and the national leadership. Njoroge asked Kenyans to always refer to the tenets of our National Anthem that reiterates peace, love and unity.

Sajid Albeity from Moi University School of Law called for tolerance across all religions and condemned individuals who terrorise the Quran by wrongly interpreting it to abet their evil courses of murder and violence.

“I will be ready to take a bullet for a fellow Kenyan if a misguided Muslim comes to inflict agony in the name of the Quran falsely. It is time we stood against terror as Kenya, irrespective of our tribes and religion so we can overcome the enemy,“ said Albeity.

Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago called for unity among all Kenyans in such difficult times. Mr Mandago called for patience as the government continues to handle the crisis. Elsewhere, former powerful Cabinet Minister Nicholas Biwott expressed his grief for the fallen soldiers who sacrifice themselves to protect the country.