IG Koome: Azimio Protesters Violent Towards ‘Respectful’ Officers
Tuesday, the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome condemned what he termed “unwarranted violence” against police officers during anti-government protests in Nairobi and Kisumu on Monday.
Raila Odinga, the leader of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition, had promised that the protests would be peaceful. However, according to Koome, the protests turned out to be “violent crime scenes with protesters engaging in running battles with anti-riot police officers and throwing stones at them, barricading roads and restricting the movement of law-abiding citizens.”
“Yesterday’s unwarranted, all-day standoff in Nairobi and Kisumu amounted to nothing less than violence against police and economic sabotage,” the IG said in a statement.
Odinga’s supporters and Azimo-aligned legislators took to the streets on Monday to pressure President William Ruto’s administration to address several issues, including the high cost of living, alleged discrimination in State appointments, and alleged lack of transparency in the IEBC.
The coalition intended to march from the city center of Nairobi to State House, but police barricaded roads leading to the president’s official residence and other key government establishments, forcing the opposition convoy to wind through residential estates outside of the city center.
As Odinga and Azimio legislators emerged from the Serena Hotel near the city center at approximately 2:40 p.m., police fired tear gas at them to prevent them from driving into the heart of the capital.
In Kisumu, police were similarly forced to use tear gas to disperse protesters after protesters clashed with law enforcement.
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Among the destroyed property were automobiles parked in front of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party offices in Nyalenda, which are led by Ruto. A vehicle was burned during the incident.
Despite provocation from the protesters, according to IG Koome, the police were performing their duties professionally, “upholding the rule of law and the utmost respect for human rights.”
“Officers used force progressively beginning with the lowest threshold, which is show-off force, and barely reinforced by water cannons and lobbying teargas canisters to prevent protestors from entering the central business districts of Nairobi and Kisumu, as well as protected areas, to prevent further damage,” he said.
“It is regrettable that even after Officers exercised restraint, acted within the law, and effectively contained the situation, rioters infiltrated Maseno Police Station and hurled stones at police officers and property, killing a male student from Maseno University in the process,” the police chief added.
He was referring to William Mayange, the Maseno University student who was fatally shot during the demonstrations in Kisumu. He stated that an investigation into the matter is ongoing.
“There is no one above the law. “Instead, there is a slippery slope between freedom of assembly, picketing, and petitioning as enshrined in Article 37 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, and the flagrant violation of the rights of others as we witnessed in yesterday’s unlawful demonstrations,” Koome said.
According to the Inspector General of Police, there were twenty-five arrests and seven injuries in Nyanza.
According to him, ten police vehicles were damaged in Nairobi, 24 officers were injured, and 213 people were arrested.
The crowd was infiltrated by hooligans.
According to Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, protests in the lakeside city were peaceful until a small number of unidentified hooligans infiltrated the crowd and began vandalizing property.
Nyong’o stated in a statement released on Monday that the suspects posed as opposition supporters and stoned and damaged a portion of a city center hotel, bank, supermarket, and shopping mall.
“On behalf of the people of Kisumu, I wish to condemn vehemently this cowardly and criminal act. “As the county’s governor, I’d like to reiterate that we support peaceful, orderly picketing with no attacks on private or public property or investments,” he said.
He urged police to expedite the investigation and make arrests, as well as “determine if it is true that they were sponsored by two groups or individuals to tarnish the reputation of Kisumu residents and Azimio La Umoja supporters as violent.”
The county administrator also demanded the prompt arrest and prosecution of the officer who shot the Maseno student.
The extent of the destruction in the capital has not yet been disclosed.
In the meantime, Odinga has stated that similar demonstrations will be held every Monday for the next few weeks until the government listens to their concerns.
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