Share

'I'm paying close attention to Kenya,' says Pope as he calls for 'constructive dialogue'

Vatican City - Pope Francis on Sunday called for constructive dialogue in Kenya where he said he was following the situation with "close attention" over disputed elections.

"I am paying close attention in these days to Kenya, which I visited in 2015," Francis told pilgrims and tourists gathered for the Angelus prayer.

Francis said he was praying "that the whole country might be able to face the current difficulties in a climate of constructive dialogue, having at heart the search for the common good."

In a shock decision, Kenya's Supreme Court overturned the August election victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta over his opposition leader Raila Odinga, citing "irregularities" in the transmission of the results.

The ruling, unprecedented in Africa, has plunged the country into its worst political crisis since post-election violence in 2007 and 2008 left 1,100 people dead.

Kenyans will return to the polls again on October 26 but Odinga has said he will not participate this time.

On Friday, both Kenyatta and Odinga made calls for election peace, while making veiled digs at each other on Kenya's annual Heroes Day.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How often do you go to the cinema to watch new movies?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Often - nothing beats the big screen
2% - 26 votes
Hardly - I prefer streaming online
66% - 722 votes
Sometimes - it depends on the film release
31% - 341 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.15
-0.7%
Rand - Pound
23.82
-0.6%
Rand - Euro
20.39
-0.5%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.30
-0.5%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-0.6%
Platinum
950.40
-0.3%
Palladium
1,028.50
-0.6%
Gold
2,378.37
+0.7%
Silver
28.25
+0.1%
Brent Crude
87.29
-3.1%
Top 40
67,190
+0.4%
All Share
73,271
+0.4%
Resource 10
63,297
-0.1%
Industrial 25
98,419
+0.6%
Financial 15
15,480
+0.6%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE