Listen to the people: Kisii leaders tell President Ruto amid calls for an end to police brutality
Kisii Governor Simba Arati leading other Azimio leaders from Kisii and Nyamira counties in celebrating Shabana FC on July 25.
A group of opposition leaders from Kisii and Nyamira counties have accused President William Ruto of ruling the country from an ivory tower surrounded by self-seekers while the people he allegedly promised heaven to are being brutalised by the police for demanding their rights.
The leaders accused the President of taking Kenyans for a ride during the last elections by making what they called false promises that everything would be cheap under his leadership.
They lamented that after failing to deliver on his promises, the President allegedly unleashed the police to brutalise citizens who tried to hold him - the President - accountable for his unfulfilled campaign promises.
Kisii County Governor Simba Arati, his deputy Dr Robert Monda, Woman Representative Dorice Aburi, MPs Anthony Kibagendi (Kitutu Chache South), Obadiah Barongo (Bomachoge Borabu) and Irene Mayaka (Nominated) accused the Head of State of taking the Kenyan electorate for granted.
They said he - the President - was now isolating himself with 'corrupt' self-seekers who were allegedly misleading him on every aspect of the national economic and political situation.
The leaders urged the President to "come down and listen to the cries of the people to whom you promised heaven on earth".
The politicians spoke at various centres on Tuesday during a day-long roadshow from Chepilat on the Nyamira and Bomet county borders to the Kisii-Trans Mara common border, Nyangusu, Kisii town and finally Gusii stadium during Shabana FC's homecoming.
The leaders had managed to outwit the authorities to hold their political roadshow and rally by intertwining it with Shabana FC affairs. The police were forced to provide them with security at Gusii Stadium as they went about their political business, at a time when the government was cracking down on the opposition because of the ongoing demonstrations.
The leaders met barely three days after President Ruto visited Kisii County to shore up what appeared to be threatened support following demonstrations in which police shot dead four people in Kisii alone.
The leaders told President Ruto that Gusii is a strong Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition region and advised him to be wary of what they described as political imposters and self-seekers who are misleading him for personal aggrandisement.
"The President has a moral duty to ensure that all Kenyans are protected from atrocious abuses by the security forces and he should own up and address the issues that Wananchi are agitating for," said Mr Arati.
The Kisii Governor pointed out that the President cannot isolate himself with the security forces and avoid addressing the key issues that Kenyans are demanding of him because it is he who made the promises that he is allegedly trying to run away from after assuming power.
"I know for sure that Dr Ruto has made a lot of promises to Kenyans. Sometimes I look at him and feel that he may have a good heart but there are political imposters surrounding him who have totally succeeded in misleading and isolating him from the people," said Mr Arati.
"I am appealing to President Ruto... please come down and listen to the cries of the people. The people have been hit very hard. Unleashing the police on them will not answer the many questions they are asking you."
The governor lamented that during the President's visit to South Mugurango last weekend, the government allegedly brought in high-powered armed police from across Nyanza region to guard the Head of State and his entourage because of fears of wananchi.
"Half of the people who attended the President's rally in South Mugirango were policemen, some in plain clothes. My brother policemen, one of the victims you shot dead here in Kisii town was from Bomet; the second is from Ukambani and the other two are from Kisii," lamented Arati.
He advised the police to exercise restraint. "One officer was restrained not to shoot but he was trigger-happy and went about shooting to kill our people who were peacefully protesting."
Mr Arati accused the government of withdrawing his security, but he was not in the country during the recent protests.
He said he would lead huge peaceful demonstrations in Kisii and urged people not to attack police or try to disrupt business.
During the road shows and rally at Gusii Stadium, people condemned South Mugirango MP Silvanus Osoro, whom they described as a political traitor to the principles of Abagusii.
Dr Monda, Mr Kibagendi, Barongo and Ms Mayaka accused the MP of approaching politics with chest thumping, pride and pomposity, pointing out that "pride goes before a fall".
They advised the president to assess the quality of the advice he was receiving from those around him, because they would be responsible for his potential downfall.
The leaders told the president to ignore the sycophants around him, come down from the ivory towers and listen to what the people were crying about.
They said the government had a duty to listen to the people and that unleashing police to kill innocent civilians was against international human rights conventions that Kenya was bound to respect.
Ms Aburi promised to keep her promises to the people of Kisii as their representative.
