18th October, 2017

press statement PRESIDENT UHURU SHOULD FOCUS ON DIALOGUE, NOT PRAYERS We are asking Kenyans to distance themselves from calls by President Uhuru Kenyatta to have Sunday, 22nd October, 2017 observed as a National Day of Prayer. These prayers, which the President says will ostensibly focus on asking for God to guide Kenyans during this challenging period, are nothing more than a political gimmick aimed at camouflaging the real challenges facing the country. The culture of calling for Prayer Days whenever the country is facing challenges must come to and end. We must be realistic about the problems we face as a country. For a long time, Kenyans have been treated to prayer days by religious leaders ostensibly to solve the country's problems. A case in point is when religious leaders converged at Uhuru Park to PRAY for PEACE during and after the August 8 General Elections. We all know that after the August 8th General Elections, some parts of the country experienced violence. Prayer is never a solution. It is time for Kenyans to candidly reflect upon the real cause of the challenges we are facing as a country. Our challenges have nothing to do with prayers or God. Instead of calling for a prayer day, President Uhuru should initiate honest dialogue with all key stakeholders of the electoral process, including his political opponents with the aim of resolving the current political stalemate.

Sincerely,

Harrison Mumia, President P.O. Box, 6758 00200, Nairobi • +254 717 110066 • [email protected]

www.atheistsinkenya.com