NAIROBI, Kenya, June 27 – The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has expressed reservations over the deployment of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to reinforce the police in dealing with protestors during the anti-Finance Bill demonstrations, despite a court order forbidding such actions in Nairobi and other parts of the country.
In a statement issued following a meeting with President William Ruto on Tuesday, the NCCK called on the government to uphold the rule of law and respect citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and expression.
“The youth of Kenya have come out to exercise their right to peaceful picketing as they enhance their participation in national life. We demand that the state stops curtailing this right by using police and the military,” the statement read.
A significantly lower turnout of demonstrators was witnessed in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) on Thursday during the anti-government protests, as security agents employed new tactics to deter protestors from accessing the area. Unlike the deadly clashes on Tuesday, which saw police and protestors opposed to the Finance Bill—since rejected by President Ruto—engaged in violent confrontations, Thursday experienced relative calm. Security agents worked around the clock to prevent any form of gathering or idling in the CBD.
The NCCK further urged the government to end the alleged abduction and arbitrary arrests of youthful demonstrators during the protests.
The National Assembly had on Wednesday approved the deployment of the KDF as part of an additional security reinforcement plan to deal with the anti-Finance Bill demonstrations that had sparked violence in most parts of the country. Following the chaos, the military was deployed to assist police in restoring order after protesters overran police and breached Parliament, burning a section of the Senate building.
Azimio La Umoja has already filed a petition under a certificate of urgency against the KDF deployment to quell protests, ahead of a ruling on a similar case by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).
Source: capitalfm
