According to media reports, after the IG Japhet Koome promised to brutalize Kenyan citizens tomorrow who will participate in lawful demonstrations against their government, Raila Odinga a principal leader in the Azimio movement leading the demos and the one most annoying to the Ruto regime has told them not to brutalize Kenyans but come and arrest him and take him to jail.
Raila can then be taken to this place. Nyayo House, where Moi built the most gruesome torture chambers ever in the world. I was there for three months and it felt like three decades. My mother could not believe I got out of there alive because every time she came looking for me, they told her they had never seen me at all.
She knew I was there because Hillary Ng’weno reported my arrest in the Weekly Review and said that is where I was. Ruto should have it ready again by now. The investigations are on the top floors, the torture chambers are in the basement.
The police boss can never solve problems for dictators. Ben Gethi as crazy as he was couldn’t do it for Moi and they tried everything.
I know that because Ben Gethi dealt with me personally at Special Branch torture chambers. He ordered the cops to strip me naked and let me lie on the floor before he could talk to me which they did. After that, they carried me to Muthangari Police Station half dead. I survived all that.
Ahead of Monday’s anti-government protests in Nairobi, Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga has told the police to respect those who will be in the streets exercising their democratic right.
The opposition leader on Sunday noted that Monday’s demonstrations will be peaceful and urged members of the police not to use force on demonstrators or disperse them, saying police should protect Kenyans who will be protesting.
“As a police officer, you are a servant of these Kenyans. That uniform you’re wearing is from their taxes, that firearm you are carrying, that tear gas you are lobbing, that house you live in, your salary, they are all from taxpayers’ money,” Odinga said during a church service at the Jesus Teaching Ministry in Nairobi.
“Respect every Kenyan, they are your employers, your bosses. We are following the law, and have already notified the police about tomorrow’s demonstrations per the law,” he added.
He accused the Inspector General of Police, Japhet Koome, of creating violence by sending police officers to do what he sees as disrupting the demonstrations which are provided for by the law.
“The constitution clearly states that all sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya and that they have the right to picket, petition and protest, provided they are lawful,” Odinga said.
He dared the police boss to arrest him, saying “You are threatening to send officers to make arrests. Please, I will be at the forefront, I dare you to come and arrest me yourself.”
IG Koome earlier in the day warned anyone planning to cause chaos on Monday.
Addressing a press conference, he said security teams are well-prepared for the protest and that they would not be lenient on any person found armed with “offensive weapons” including stones, machetes, and rungus.
“We have visitors from many foreign nations and we will not allow anything to happen in our capital city. Everyone has the right to go into the city centre,” he said.
In a predictable development here is another moron who wants to write the constitution of Kenya in his bedroom.
For a guy who thinks he is an army general and wears army clothes as he goes to bed because he is the CS of Interior, there is nothing much to expect in terms of common sense.
The government seeks to introduce legislation governing demonstrations, pickets, and petitions in the country.
This is in line with the bi-weekly anti-government demonstrations the opposition has called to pressure President William Ruto’s administration to address its concerns.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said on Sunday that the government shall, through the parliament, introduce subsidiary legislation in the form of regulations pursuant to the Public Order Act and the Statutory Instruments Act.
Kindiki said the legislation will provide for legal action around assemblies, demonstrations, pickets, and petitions; including notification procedures; duties of security agencies to protect the rights of those participating, and demarcation of zones for such activities.
CS Kindiki said the government seeks to outline the duty of public agencies and institutions to set aside a zone for persons who wish to present petitions to public authorities, as well as the duty of organizers of assemblies, demonstrations, pickets, and petitions to provide the hours, routes and other relevant information to assist law enforcement agencies to escort them and provide them with security.
Consent requirements from persons whose activities are likely to be affected by assemblers, demonstrators, picketers and petitioners; as well as obligations of the organizers of such activities are other issues the government also seeks to legislate.
Kindiki said this is to ensure that the activities remain peaceful, unarmed, and generally within the law including compliance with the duty not to infringe on the rights of others.
Other areas are limitations on the number of assemblers, demonstrators, picketers, and petitioners at any particular occasion; the responsibility for clean-up costs; and responsibility for, and payment of, damages to those harmed by activities of assemblers, demonstrators, picketers, or petitioners.
The Interior CS said while every Kenyan has a right to demonstrate, picket, and petition, non-demonstrators and third parties enjoy equal rights and freedoms during these activities since their fundamental rights and freedoms are not suspended during such activities.
“Presently, it is not feasible for security organs to allow masses of people to roam streets and neighbourhoods of their choice carrying stones and other offensive weapons while chanting political slogans and disrupting the daily activities of others,” he said.
If Ruto and Kindiki want to amend the constitution and change the Bill of Rights the country will need a national referendum for that. Bring it on. Please.
In the meantime, this is Kenya for a lot of its citizens. For how long? This is Marsabit today March 26, 2023. Totally unacceptable. And all Ruto and his government are doing is talking about how to kill Kenyans tomorrow on Monday and arrest Raila.
