The Raila Odinga-led Azimio la Umoja One Kenya on Monday declared that their planned three-day protests beginning Wednesday are unstoppable, warning president William Ruto against “incitement.”
Addressing journalists after a Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation (JOOF) in Nairobi, the opposition legislators took issue with the resolutions at a similar meeting by Kenya Kwanza MPs at State House, Nairobi on Saturday, warning against attempts to wedge a war among Kenyans.
National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi said: “We are here, first and foremost to confirm that the peaceful protests planned for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week are on as earlier declared by our leadership.”
“These protests will go on in line with Article 37 of our Constitution which provides for freedom of peaceful assembly and states that 'every person has the right, peaceably and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket, and to present petitions to public authorities.”
The leaders took issue with the resolutions of a meeting chaired by President Ruto at State House last Saturday, where the pro-government MPs resolved to cooperate with the police and their constituents to “guard against destruction of property.”
“Going on, we and the people shall protect property, guard peace and lives from these destructive elements.”
“Our message to Raila is unequivocal: On Wednesday (tomorrow), we shall protect our Country, our people, our property and our democracy,” read a Kenya Kwanza statement by National Assembly and Senate Majority Leaders Kimani Ichung’wa and Aaron Cheruiyot respectively.
But on Monday, their Azimio counterparts also held a meeting in Nairobi, where they warned against any plot by Kenya Kwanza to hide behind the police to attack anti-government protesters.
“We take note that Kenya Kwanza MPs have threatened to mobilize their supporters to counter protesters whom they believe are supporters of Azimio. Again, Kenya Kwanza is missing the point and getting it wrong.”
“The thousands of Kenyans turning up for protests are not just Azimio supporters. Those are Kenyans from across all political and non-political formations who have been brought together by suffering,” Senate Minority Leader Steward Madzayo said.
He said the protesters are from Azimio, Ford Kenya, ANC, and even Kenya Kwanza among other parties.
“People realise they don’t eat government. People eat food and they want food. People realise that having voted for a party or a president does not put food on the table. All the same, we welcome Kenya Kwanza MPs to the protests on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday but if they come with violence and murder, Kenya Kwanza supporters will be among the victims,” the Kilifi Senator added.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna alleged that senior police commanders had declined to shoot innocent protesters, leading to the plans by Kenya Kwanza MPs to organise retaliatory attacks.
“We have received intelligence that senior police officers in the Kenya police command have chosen to ignore illegal orders to shoot protesters, which is why a PG was convened at State House to push MPs to mobilise people in their constituencies to come and harm protesters,” Mr Sifuna said.
To those mobilised to come and fight fellow Kenyans, he said, “we are not the enemy, we are not the ones who have added taxation on fuel, all our MPs here voted against that bill.”
“We will not fight our fellow countrymen. We have never come to a low where a president convenes a meeting to set people against each other. It is unfortunate that they have no answer to the questions Kenyans are asking them that’s why they are resorting to violence,” Mr Sifuna said.
The ODM official also accused the government of attempting to sabotage its nationwide signatures collection exercise.
“Kenya Kwanza has dismissed out signatures collection exercise as an exercise in futility yet they are trying to actively sabotage our signatures collection. In fact, we have over 1,000 attacks on our websites and they have even clowned the website to confuse Kenyans.”
“If this process has no legal basis, why frustrate it?” posed Mr Sifuna.
Mr Wandayi said the protests will proceed despite the withdrawal of securities of Azimio leaders, including Mr Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka.
"We remain committed to the protests, and the withdrawal of our security will not cowe us."
"Ruto must know that provision of security to leaders is not a favour but a constitutional right," Mr Wandayi said.
He pointed out that Mr Odinga, as a former Prime Minister and Mr Musyoka as a former Vice President, are entitled by law to State protection.
"As for me, I'm not bothered because it is God the Almighty who provides security to the people," Mr Wandayi said.
The MPs warned against any plans by Kenya Kwanza MPs to confront anti-government protesters with the backing of the police.
“We know what this means. It means confronting protesters with members of that killer squad called Operations Support Unit whose brief is to maim and kill protesters including Azimio leaders.”
They also took exceptions to what they termed as continued threats to the life of Mr Odinga “as propagated by senior leaders of the Kenya Kwanza regime.”
“There will be a price to pay for those threats,” Mr Madzayo said.
Senate Deputy Minority Leader Enoch Wambua said the conflict facing the country pities Kenyans against President Ruto.
“This is not a conflict between Kenya Kwanza and Azimio. It's a conflict between William Samoei Ruto and the people of Kenya.”
“We are ashamed that President Ruto could meet his MPs to mobilise their constituents to fight fellow Kenyans,” said Mr Wambua.
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi and Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga said police must take cautionary measures to protect the lives and property of Kenyas.
“The police must know that the earlier petition by Azimio to ICC (International Criminals Court) is very active and take note because we have profiled all the killings, which were as a result of shooting,” Mr Osotsi said.
He said Azimio was alive to the threats by Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria and warned against plans by a section of Governors to use public funds to hire people to attack anti-State protesters
Elsewhere, Azimio co-principal Eugene Wamalwa blamed the police for always provoking peaceful demonstrators by attacking them.
He said the scheme will not scare them away or push Kenyans from the streets before the real problem which is the high cost of living is addressed.
“We know they have put in place plans from meetings even in State house to injure, arrest or even assassinate some of us in Azimio, but we shall not be intimidated.”
“We will soldier on the threats notwithstanding. We know those who came before us faced similar threats during Nyayo era dictatorship and many were detained without trial and even lost their lives.”
“We are the ready to even march to hell for a heavenly course. We will not flinch from that calling,” said Mr Wamalwa.
The former Defense Cabinet Secretary said that they are emboldened by the late Masinde Muliro remarks that “when you go into politics be prepared for three things - to be arrested and taken to jail, bankrupted and death.”
“We are ready for these for the sake of fighting for Kenyans and we will not retreat; we will not surrender.”
He challenged president Ruto to listen to the cries of Kenyans and voices of the religious leaders, saying not all Kenyans can be wrong.
“Not all civil societies can be wrong and only him and Gachagua are right. Let him repeal that punitive Finance Act and stop threatening Kenyans.”
“Let him lower cost of living, stop unilateral reconstitution of IEBC and cannibalisation of Jubilee and other parties and allow electoral justice to be realized in the country. These are things which are doable and which he has no option but to implement and he will see Kenyans out of the streets,” added the DAP-Kenya party leader.
He went on: “Instead of planning for confrontation and violence by organising hit squads to attack demonstrators and Azimio leaders as happened to my brother Oparanya in Busia, let them address the underlying issues.”
“No amount of threats, intimidation, bullets, teargas or stones will cow us and from Wednesday there will be no retreat no surrender. We are prepared to march into hell for this heavenly cause in spite of the threats we are facing.”
