NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 15 – President William Ruto says he remains steadfast in his commitment to safeguarding life and property in the face of the ongoing anti-government demonstrations led by the Azimio La Umoja Coalition.
The President labeled the Azimio La Umoja protest as a political strategy employed by the opposition to advance their own interests and undermine the government’s endeavors to serve the Kenyan people.
“It’s impossible to use demonstration to destroy property and cause loss of life just because some few individuals want to advance their political agenda,”
“Politics is driven by political agenda, not demonstrations. So we must agree and I want to tell Kenyans that we will mobilize all resources to protect the property and lives of every Kenyan,”Ruto said.
President Ruto emphasized the need for a constructive political dialogue concerning the boundaries of picketing and protest, as outlined in the constitutional provisions on freedoms and rights.
“We must have a candid conversation on what amounts to demonstration because we cannot continue to use the excuse of demonstration to destroy property public or private,”he said.
Ruto has alluded that leaders opposed to his leadership style are unable to cope with change and saying he won’t be distracted.
President Ruto urged Kenyans to remain put despite the ongoing crisis in the country due to the anti government protest led by the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition.
“They want us to continue borrowing loans yet right now our loan stands at Sh 9trillion and that’s why you find there is a crisis in Kenya and that’s why they are reactionaries who don’t want us to change for the better,”Ruto stated.
Azimio demos
Police fired tear gas on protesters Wednesday as they defied a police ban to join demonstrations called by opposition leader Raila Odinga against a raft of tax hikes.
Shops were shut and security was tight in the capital Nairobi, where police deployed tear gas against stone-throwing demonstrators in the slum of Mathare. Tear gas was also used to disperse crowds in the port city of Mombasa.
Last week’s rallies in several cities turned violent, with six people killed according to the interior ministry, as rights campaigners accused police of taking a heavy-handed approach towards the demonstrations.
On the eve of Wednesday’s protests, the country’s police chief warned opposition supporters from holding “illegal demonstrations”, saying that organisers had not provided the authorities with any “notifications” about their planned rallies this week.
“In this regard, no such demonstrations/gatherings/protests will be allowed tomorrow… All lawful means will be used to disperse such demonstrations,” Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome said in a statement.
Police had fired tear gas in Nairobi on Friday, targeting Odinga’s convoy, and took similar steps against demonstrations in the cities of Mombasa and Kisumu.
On Saturday campaigners said police used tear gas on civil society representatives, who were demanding the release of dozens of people arrested during the protests.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has called for “a thorough investigation into all reported incidents of police brutality”, adding to the chorus of condemnation from rights groups including Amnesty International against “arbitrary arrests”.
Odinga’s Azimio alliance has vowed to stage protests every week against the policies of President William Ruto’s government.
Odinga, who lost the August 2022 election to Ruto, claims that the poll was “stolen” and has held a string of anti-government rallies this year.
But as soaring food prices pile pressure on households, many Kenyans said they could not afford the disruption caused by the protests and had little hope of seeing improvements to their economic situation.
