A group of Kenya civil society organizations under the umbrella of Civic Freedoms Forum have strongly come out to condemn the way security agencies handled the Saba Saba nation-wide mass protests that resulted in injuries and arbitrary arrests of peaceful protestors.
This, they say, has gravely threatened the freedom of assembly which was vigorously fought for.
“Following the nation-wide Saba Saba protests across the country, we have witnessed the police, yet again, lobbing tear gas to otherwise peaceful protesters, arbitrarily arresting peaceful protesters and brutally handling them. For instance, in Nairobi, 17 human rights defenders have reportedly been arrested in Nairobi CBD by police during the protest. We witnessed protesters being dragged on the ground while others were being bundled onto police vehicles to be transported to police stations.” Peter Kiama, CFF Board Chair, told the media in Nairobi.
“In Vihiga County, 8 human rights defenders were arrested and detained in Mbale Police Station as they marched to present their petition to the relevant state agencies while in Turkana County, three human rights activists were arrested. In Kisii, Migori and Mombasa Counties, the police disrupted the protests by throwing tear gas and in other instances, stones to the crowds. In Kisumu, police lobbed tear gas to the protesters which created tension in the CBD leading to businesses being shut down.”
All these come a few days after Mbeere North Member of Parliament Geoffrey Ruku, in what appeared to be a move to tame the opposition and anti-government protests, proposed an amendment Bill to regulate the conduct of demonstrations and actions of picketing.
In the Bill, the MP proposed that organizers of protests be held liable for any damage or loss of lives and property, and that those who engage in outlawed protests be liable for one-year imprisonment.
From the Saba Saba protests, CFF condemn the arbitrary arrests of peaceful protesters, the police brutality meted on peaceful protesters, police officers disrupting peaceful protesters by throwing tear gas and stones at the crowds, and police refusing to accept notifications of the protests and using this as an excuse to label peaceful protests as “illegal”.
“We reiterate that the Constitution of Kenya Article 37 gives any person the right to protest, picket or petition any public office while peaceful and unarmed. Article 33 confers the right to self -expression. These rights should not be denied or interfered with by police or any government officers.”
Civic Freedoms Forum (CFF) is as a platform comprised of civil society organizations (CSOs) operating at national level with a track record and commitment to the protection of civil liberties.
The umbrella group laid down a number of demands to The National Police Service, including to adhere to the law and conditions as to the use of force as per NPS Act and Service Standing Orders and the immediate release of all the arrested peaceful protesters.
They also called upon the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, and particularly the Cabinet Secretary, to engage all key stakeholders in consultation forums to ensure that the proposed regulations and amendments to Public Order Act are within the constitutional threshold.
Another demand was to IPOA to conduct investigations on the human rights violations to establish the level of police compliance with Article 244 of the Constitution, the Public Order Act and all regional and international legal instruments that Kenya has ratified.
To avoid more conflict, CFF implored the Kenya Kwanza government to take action on the demands made by Kenyans during the Saba Saba protests.
