Water and Sanitation Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alice Wahome has appealed to Kenyans to strongly reject the call for demonstrations by the opposition Azimio la Umoja Coalition.
She said it had been demonstrated in the past that the anti-government protests called by the Raila Odinga-led team are just about lawlessness, loss of lives, and destruction of property.
Speaking in Embu during an inspection tour of Tana Water Works Development Agency projects across the county, CS Wahome regretted the destruction of the Motorway, which was a long-term loan project released for use in the country recently, and the destruction of a DCC’s office in Emali.
“Such kinds of activities should not be taking place in a democratic society where the complaint is about loss in an election,” she said, adding that there was an open, clear, and transparent process for determining the winner of any electoral contest.
She said the matter was litigated upon and the verdict delivered by the Judiciary, and thus it was insincere for the Azimio brigade to start causing havoc and chaos in order to be brought to the table for dialogue.
“We must as a country reject that; it is bad history and a bad record, and we cannot have such a precedent where if you lose an election, you then go ahead and cause chaos,” she said.
She called on the opposition to call off the demonstrations because they had demonstrated they did not have the capacity to manage their supporters.
The CS said the protests, if not stopped, could easily plunge the country into a civil conflict, and the government will not just sit back and watch that happen.
Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku said Article 37 of the Constitution was very clear that demonstrations must be peaceful and the participants must be unarmed, which was not the case with Azimio protests.
In a Bill pending before Parliament, the MP wants organisers of demonstrations to be held liable for any damage or loss of lives or property, and those engaging in protests to be liable for one-year imprisonment.
“We do not want a situation whereby the country will be held at ransom by an individual in a violent manner in the name of demonstrations,” he said.
At the same time, police are questioning two individuals who were found donating food to street children in Embu Town to allegedly lure them into demonstrations.
Embu West Sub-county Deputy OCPD Agnes Magiri said they had enhanced patrols to ensure the prevailing peace and tranquility was not disturbed by anybody.
By Samuel Waititu
