Finance Bill: Raila takes on Ruto over violent police response to protest, military use
ODM leader Raila Odinga and Ugunja lawmaker Opiyo Wandayi at the burial of Mzee Owino Nyadi at Ugolwe village in Uguinja sub-County.
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya alliance chief Raila Odinga has faulted the violent response to peaceful protests by the youth and the resultant deaths.
Mr Odinga said police officers sprayed bullets on young unarmed protesters who only wanted their voices heard.
“We have lost many young promising lives unnecessarily this week because of trigger-happy policemen who have been given instructions to shoot to kill,” Mr Odinga said on Saturday, June 29, 2024.
Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), the State human rights agency established by the Constitution, on Friday said its confirmed death toll linked to the protests this week was now at 21.
The State agency says a total of 336 protesters have been injured so far in the two-week protests, with 22 people abducted by people believed to be police officers, and 53 others arbitrarily arrested.
The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition leader was speaking in Sega, Siaya County, during the burial ceremony of the late comedian Fred Omondi, brother to Erick Omondi on Saturday.
Mr Odinga reiterated that Kenya is under a civilian authority hence the role of the police is not to crush legal protests but instead escort the demonstrators to present their petitions wherever they may want to take them.
“In civilian authorities all over the world, police are not supposed to be shooting to kill people. Peaceful demonstrators should be escorted by the police, not killed by the police,” said the visibly angry Mr Odinga.
Protect lives and property
For failing to protect lives and property during the nationwide anti-tax-hike demonstrations, the opposition chief wants legal action taken against the rogue police officers who brutalised and killed Kenyans.
“The law allows Kenyan people to peacefully picket against what they don’t like. Bloodletting in our country is completely inexcusable and unacceptable,” he said.
Further, he faulted the government, the Judiciary included, for deploying the military to the streets to quell the ongoing revolt against it.
“The army exists to protect the country against foreign aggression, not to deal with internal strife. That is why it is very wrong for the court to rule that we can continue to have an army on our streets.
When the government is bringing the military to the streets it means that the civilian authority has failed,” he said.
It is an “unprecedented” happening in Kenya’s 61 years of independence, he observed.
The ODM party leader challenged the government to reveal the identity of goons and their sponsor, as has since been alleged by some government operatives that some people were hired to cause mayhem in the country.
“We are being told about goons. Who are those goons and who hired them? Tell us!” he remarked.
In the meantime, Mr Odinga called on the people of Kenya to remain united and talk about shared prosperity.
“This is the time for this (talks)”, he said, explaining that he will reveal the details of such an engagement in the coming weeks.
He went on: “We are continuing to say that our people should remain calm. God is with us. If God is with us, who can be against us?”
He relayed his condolences to the families and relatives of victims of the bloody protests saying, "We are at crossroads in Kenya today. I want to pay condolences to all who lost their beloved ones."
Speaking earlier at the funeral of Mzee Owino Nyadi in Ugolwe, Ugunja Sub County, Mr Odinga told President Ruto not to rely on parliamentarians saying that the people have expressed a strong vote of no confidence in them.
“Everywhere in the country, people revolted against the parliament’s decision to pass the Finance Bill 2024. This is a vote of no confidence in the parliament. As such, President Ruto should keep the parliament away for now,” he said.
Mr Odinga observed that the president must act swiftly and wisely to salvage the situation that is quickly getting out of hand.
“If President Ruto is not careful, he knows where the country is headed,” said Mr Odinga.
Mr Odinga claimed that all that the youths are demanding to be implemented are in the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report which is gathering dust without implementation.
“We took part in demonstrations; many youths were killed in the process. When we realised that many people were losing lives we went for a national dialogue that took months and a report was submitted but is yet to be implemented,” said Mr Odinga who is eying the African Union Chairmanship.
He challenged President Ruto to openly condemn the brutality meted out to the Kenyans.
Mr Odinga’s calls against reliance on the legislature came just days after Nyaribari Masaba MP Daniel Manduku asked the president to dissolve parliament and call for fresh elections.
Lack moral authority
The legislator wants all the 349 MPs sent home over failure to represent the interests of the electorate.
Dr Manduku asserted that the biggest problem in Kenya currently is the MPs, whom he said no longer have the moral authority to transact any business in the National Assembly on behalf of Kenyans.
“I want to state here that as elected leaders we are the problem and I want to ask the president to immediately dissolve the National Assembly and call for elections within 90 days,” said the lawmaker.
The invasion of parliament desecrated it and hence has its integrity defiled, said Dr Manduku.
“What we saw on Tuesday is that the public came to take back their power and it is time we called a spade a spade. Article 1 of our Constitution talks about power belonging to the people and that the elected MPs only exercise it on their behalf,” he remarked.
Siaya Governor James Orengo who was accompanying Mr Odinga in Siaya said that whatever was happening in the country had been pointed out earlier but was ignored.
“There is nothing new that Mr Odinga has not talked about. So because they did not listen, let them face the consequences,” said Mr Orengo,” said Mr Orengo.
National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi said that the Kenya Kwanza is a divided government with very little to show for the two years in power.
He urged opposition politicians who had warmed up to the government to return to the Azimio coalition.
“We welcome them for now, however, the electorates will decide on what to do with them when the election time comes,” he said.
