Two significant events happen this August in East Africa: Rwanda holds presidential elections as Kenya adopts or rejects the Proposed Constitution in a referendum. 

In Rwanda, President Paul Kagame has been widely lauded for not only ensuring stability and rebuilding of Rwanda, but also working towards turning it into a middle income country. The mounting political repression in the country however threatens to undo this legacy. It will do Kagame and the people of Rwanda good if democratic discourse and the wishes of Rwanda’s electorate are allowed to thrive. 

In Kenya, both the YES and NO proponents must exercise sobriety and consider the long run effects of the Proposed Constitution on many people as opposed to its short term effects on a few people. The constitution is about the people of Kenya and their future. Sideshows must not be allowed to lead to the miscarriage of this historical rebirth. 

The people of Rwanda and Kenya shall do East Africa proud if they go beyond coercion and vote right, vote with their conscience and vote peacefully. God bless East Africa unity!