Marsabit Interfaith Leaders Reach Consensus on wearing of Hijab in Public Religious Sponsored Schools and Renew Call for Responsible Leadership Ahead of 2027 General Election

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marsabit County, Kenya

4^th August 2026

STRENGTHENING BRIDGES OF FAITH FOR A PROSPEROUS AND HARMONIOUS SOCIETY

Marsabit Interfaith Leaders Reach Consensus on wearing of Hijab in Public Religious Sponsored Schools and Renew Call for Responsible Leadership Ahead of 2027 General Election

Luke 6:31 “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Surah Al-Hujurat 49:13 “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another.”

Marsabit, Kenya – Christian and Muslim faith leaders drawn from across Marsabit County having been in a consultative journey, that concluded today on 4^th August 2026 here at Sand and Rock Resort, Saku, for accommodation of hijab in public religious sponsored schools and other issues of county and national concerns. This mediation process has been facilitated by the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) with support from the Christian Aid and Islamic Relief of Kenya.

Our resolutions are as follows:

1. Strengthening interfaith bridges for social harmony
2. Accommodation of hijab in public religious sponsored schools

We note with concern the rising religious tension among faith communities around hijab issue in public religious sponsored schools over years the issues that now it had started to polarize our people who had been living together harmoniously. After lengthy consultation Marsabit Interfaith Council has resolved on the following that;

• Hijab to be incorporated as part of the official school dress code of public religious sponsored school.
• The school’ BOM shall determine size, style, and coverage of the hijab in order to ensure modesty in dressing in schools in line with existing school uniform.
• No learner shall be compelled, coerced, or penalized for wearing or not wearing the hijab.
• This concession is made in good faith and in the spirit of peaceful interfaith coexistence.
• Any emerging concerns shall be handled by the MIC’s leadership and relevant authorities in a transparent manner

1. Safeguarding our places of worship against religious extremism

Cognizant of our diversity in faith, the emerging risks of radicalization and use of extremist ideologies to justify harm and violence, we call upon our religious communities and organizations to be vigilant and safeguard the pulpit and religious social gatherings to prevent extremists that have been identified as a threat to our social cohesion and unity as a people.

We call for the following:

1. Preachers from outside Marsabit to go through the right respective religious organizations on the ground for familiarity on the complexity of Marsabit interfaith relationships and do no harm to the other faith through derogatory preaching and teaching
2. Religious leaders in Marsabit and the entire nation are called upon to enhance their understanding of the other faith to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence

• We urge all religious leaders in our communities to adhere to the constitutional calling for right to religion and belief and not to compel any one to join another religion

1. We appeal to the people of Marsabit County to accommodate each other despite their diverse faith and desist from religious zoning and be mindful of the constitutional provision on freedom worship and association.
2. We appeal to County Director of Education and other relevant bodies to make necessary arrangements to ensure smooth implementation of this memorandum in all public religious sponsored schools in the county.

 

A call for responsible and accountable leadership

We, religious leaders caution that the ongoing reckless political utterances are a precursor to social strife, and are urging all leaders both county and national to safeguard the gains made over the years even as legitimate concerns over unmet public expectations are addressed. We call for the following:

 

1. We renew our call for every citizen, regardless of political persuasion, to embrace the Golden Rule to do to others what they would want done to them.
2. We urge the Government and opposition leaders to respect institutional of governance, engage each other with respect, dignity, embrace dialogue and consultation to address issues of national concerns mindful that every Kenyan deserve a peaceful and cohesive society.

• We call upon political to desist from exploitation of our young and unemployed people’s vulnerabilities and using them as political goons in fostering their interest. The cropping up of the culture of goonism and political violence must come to end.

1. As we approach the 2027 General Election, we encourage residents of Marsabit County to obtain national identification documents and voter cards in good time to enable them participate in the political destiny of this Marsabit and nation at large.

 

3. A call for upholding Godly family values and societal morals

We are deeply saddened by the latest data and trends in rising family breakups, teenage pregnancies, drugs and substance abuse Gender Based Violence (GBV), femicide and mental illness driven by economic hardship and break down of social support systems. We urge our people to adhere to religious teachings, uphold sound family values, and commit to standing together against this menace that continue to erode our moral standards. We also urge our people to seek medical, and counselling services from relevant available institutions. Let’s leverage on our family, faith and social networks in addressing these psychosocial problems

We now call upon all stakeholders in Marsabit County, regardless of clan, tribe or faith, to support this process. We urge the media to continue sharing stories of hope, and call on the national and county governments to sustain the enabling environment for peaceful coexistence among our communities.

As we continue this dialogue, it is our conviction that our communities deserve peaceful and harmonious coexistence.

 

God bless Marsabit County.

God bless Kenya.

Signed on 4^th August 2026