Preach peace and find killers of fiery preacher

It is time for political and religious leaders to tone down their rhetoric and lower temperatures over the killing of fiery and controversial Muslim cleric Sheikh Aboud Rogo Mohammed.

Kenya is one of the few African countries where religious tolerance has, since Independence, ensured that matters such as this do not descend into the kind of sectarian violence witnessed on Monday.

Churches and mosques must remain places of worship and refuge for the various adherents, and indeed anyone needing succor.

The Government must immediately launch impartial investigations into the slaying of the fiery preacher, find and punish his killers, for the rule of law must be upheld.

Rogo, before his death, was facing serious terror-related charges in court and had been blacklisted by the United Nations for his known association with groups believed to have links with global terror group Al Qaeda.

It is also true that Rogo often delivered sermons that were as chilling for their condoning of gratuitous violence against innocent Kenyans as they were in promoting extreme militant Islam, the kind spread by Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda.  But the rule of law and natural justice dictates that only a court of law can determine the guilt of an accused person, and hence why the Government must move fast in getting to the bottom of the matter.

The right of any accused to be accorded due judicial process in his or her defence is written into Constitution and should be respected.

Extremist views

Whether or not the police opted to eliminate Rogo remains a matter of conjecture, one that gives ammunition to religious extremists keen to exploit his demise.

Only a proper investigation can remove any vestige of doubt with regard to the killing.

But for now, we appeal to responsible leaders and supporters of the late cleric to desist from breaking the law or making statements that only serve to incite violence. Two wrongs cannot make a right.

In life Sheikh Rogo might have glorified extreme religious viewpoints but the best way to ensure such militancy does not gain the upperhand is to avoid violence.