Wednesday Demos: Mombasa Azimio Leaders and Activists Unite
The leaders of the Mombasa County ODM and members of civil society have pledged to continue the planned peaceful demonstrations on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
This is even though President William Ruto and his administration vowed to thwart any effort to conduct the demonstrations.
Senator Mohammed Faki of Mombasa County stated that they will guarantee the region’s peace while reiterating that they will participate in the demonstrations.
“We are going to fight for our rights as Kenyans,” he declared.
Faki elaborated on claims that a subset of Kenya Kwanza leaders was mobilized to quell Azimio protesters at the grassroots level.
If their welfare is not addressed, he stated that Kenyans have the right to demonstrate and picket.
The Azimio leaders also condemned the removal of security for Azimio legislators.
“They cannot revoke the security without explanation simply because someone made statements against them,” he said. We condemn this action because we are aware that it is unconstitutional and unlawful, and the government cannot engage in illicit activity.
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The senator also urged Inspector General Japhet Koome to intervene and ensure accountability.
He stated that the police are not immune to prosecution, civil and criminal liability and that they will pursue each officer until justice is served.
“We want to tell the police that they will be held personally accountable for what they are doing to Kenyans,” he said.
A portion of Kenya Kwanza leaders alleged that the leader of the Azimio party, Raila Odinga, visited the region and met with the leaders of the region to discuss the planned demonstrations.
However, Faki characterized the claims as mere allegations.
“This is an allegation; I have never met him. If he arrived as a private citizen, he has every right to do so, as a Kenyan he is free to travel anywhere in the country and meet whoever he chooses without restrictions or permission,” he said. “We did not have any meetings as Azimio leaders.”
Jactone Madialo, a Mikindani MCA, commented on the allegations and denied receiving cash to fund the demonstrations.
“I condemned the rumor that the party leader met with MCAs and gave us eight million shillings to organize school demonstrations.” “Because Raila is a peace-lover, he cannot bring people together to plan demonstrations, especially against schoolchildren,” he said.
Bradley Ouna stated that as activists, they will hold daily demonstrations until the leaders of Azimio receive their security detail back.
ALSO READ: Chief Justice Koome Labels Azimio Protests a ‘National Security Threat’, Bans Demonstrations
“We want to call on all Kenyans to participate in a protest because the current high cost of living affects everyone in Kenya,” he said.
“The 2023 Finance Bill must be repealed, and the government must do what Kenyans want, not what they want.”
James Obara Kings, an elder of the Luo community in Mombasa, stated that they will not tolerate the situation and remain silent while the Azimio leader is in danger.
“It should be known that Kenya will fall if anything occurs to Raila in this country. Therefore, the government should be mindful whenever it takes unconstitutional actions,” he said.
Francis Auma, a MUHURI rights advocate, stated that the demonstrations will commence in the GPO (Posta) area.
“We want police protection, and this is not a favor; we want them to come out in large numbers and ensure that our demonstrations are peaceful,” he said.
Wednesday Demos: Mombasa Azimio Leaders and Activists Unite
