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The Kenyan police and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) have sought the help of traditional elders to avoid violence in the 2013 elections, Kenya's Daily Nation reported Thursday (August 9th).

"The political environment in the run up to the 2013 general election is quite different from that of 2007. The new law has given us a lot of authority and everyone will have to face the law," said deputy police spokesman Charles Owino. "We do not want to wait until an incident occurs and that is why we have engaged the community elders as a start to resolving disputes," he said.

Police efforts will be concentrated in 29 counties identified as conflict-prone "hotspots".

"Kenyans today have a lot of confidence in the police and we can deal with that," Owino said. "The fact that the new police boss will be independent of any political affiliation can only serve to increase that confidence."

A national steering committee with representatives from the police, the Ministry of Information, the Kenya Communications Commission, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the NCIC will also monitor the media and encouraging the promotion of national unity.