Elgeyo Marakwet County Cultural week will start on June 15th. PHOTO countesy (http://www.acriwebsite.org)

Elgeyo Marakwet County Cultural week will start on June 15th. PHOTO countesy (http://www.acriwebsite.org)

Kenyans from across the country will be celebrating the country’s cultural diversity later this month. The event that will be held in Tot, Elgeyo Marakwet County will bring together government leaders, county leaders, religious organization, students, communities and the general public. Several local community members/leaders, national and international participants are expected to grace the cultural event.

The week long event scheduled to take place between June 15th and June 20th 2015 is organized by the Action2015 Kenya, a group of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and individuals in pursuit for equality, poverty eradication and proper climate change mitigation plans.

Action2015 National Chairman Stephen Cheboi told Kenya Monitor that the event is a good platform to sensitize Kenyans on the three pillars that he believed will rewrite the country’s development path.

“We wish to use this platform for a whole week to sensitize Kenyans on poverty mitigation techniques, need to uphold equality and ways to address climate change issues,” said Cheboi.

He disclosed that the meeting will bring together different stakeholders from government as well as the civil society.

“We have received confirmations from key government officials and we expect the Deputy President, the President, county leaders and Kenyans from various parts of the country,” he explained.

The Cultural Week has been an ongoing event since 2011 and it aims at making Kenyans appreciate their diverse cultures as well as providing a platform for the various communities to discuss key development issues.

“We have held the event since 2011 and we have seen senior government officials attend the event. Last year we had Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, Minority Leader Kithure Kindiki, National Museums of Kenya cultural departments and county leaders attend the event. And this year we expect more leaders to grace the event. We also expect Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and the Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga,” said Cheboi.

Representatives from the Women Enterprise Fund and the Youth Enterprise Development Fund will also attend the event.

The theme of this year’s National event is: Celebrating Kenya’s Communities Cultural diversities and Cultural as means to promote socio-economic Development in Kenya. During the event, there will also be empowerment seminars for the participants.

Since 2011, the Cultural Week has been targeting communities from Pokot, Turkana, Marakwet, Samburu, Tugen and the north rift region. But this year, the event will have representatives from other parts of the country, including: Kitui, Bondo, Busia, Bungoma and Nakuru.

Cheboi added:

“This is part of our national plans to reach out to grassroots communities in Kenya. This Cultural week day is dedicated to Kenyan communities to celebrate the Cultural diversities and discuss poverty alleviation initiatives, combating the dangerous impacts of climate change and inequalities in Kenya.”

He disclosed that the event will be a timely platform for the Action2015 Kenya to highlight the contents of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and assess the successes and shortcomings of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).