I have no blood on my hands, Ruto says on killed protesters
President William Ruto on Sunday emphatically declared that he has no blood in his hands.
The Head of State, who was in the hot seat during the Presidential Roundtable with mainstream media houses further revealed that since the onset of the anti-Finance Bill protests, declared property worth Ksh2.4 billion had been destroyed.
Ruto, however, admitted that the damage had been caused by criminals who allegedly infiltrated the peaceful protests to cause atrocities such as burning down a section of the Parliament Buildings.
“I have no blood in my hands. 19 people to the record that I have from the security agencies are dead. Very unfortunate,” he stated.
“As a democracy, that should not be part of our conversation. 2.4 billion of the property had been destroyed.”
“The office of the Chief Justice has been burnt. City Hall has been burnt. Parliament has been burnt,” he added.
The Head of State, however, assured families of the deceased that investigations into the incidents were underway and that a full report would be made public.
“I am telling every parent, I have kids like they do and I care when there are issues in town where criminals can take advantage of situations and create a situation where the police have to use rubber bullets and live bullets in some cases because that is what an independent police service has to do. I am sure the police have a record and explanation for every incident that they were engaged in,” he added.
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“Any life that is lost is something that must bother anybody beginning with myself. When I came into office I said there would be no extrajudicial killing in Kenya and I have made sure that there is no extrajudicial killing in Kenya. Children indeed got into situations where they became victims of the demonstrations. These great young people who have stepped forward to prosecute their agenda, I am certain that they did not burn Parliament.”
When asked whether he was briefed on the extent of the criminal activities ahead of the pandemonium, Ruto admitted that he was informed and prepared for the authority’s response.
He explained that should they not have intense preparations, the number of deaths could have been higher.
“We had information and that is why we prepared in the manner in which we did and if we hadn’t prepared in the manner that we did, we would not be counting 19, we would be counting different numbers.
“I am telling you that the level of mobilization by criminals was heavy. Many of the young people left town by 10:00 am or 11:00 am,” he explained.
Regarding the arrest of former MP Alfred Keter, the Head of State noted that the cries by his family were horrible but insisted that his administration would respect the independence of the police service.
“I have told you, I lead a deliberate decision to make sure the police operate independently,” he noted. Keter was forcefully taken away from his car in broad daylight and detained at Kamukunji Police Station. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations later explained that his arrest was not abducted.
I have no blood on my hands, Ruto says on killed protesters
