Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Azimio la Umoja has called off the protests set for tomorrow.

Azimio said they will hold vigils rather than go to the streets for a peaceful demonstration as earlier announced.

“We will hold solidarity parades and vigils for victims of police brutality in various locations in all parts of the country.

We are calling Kenyans to come out and light candles and lay flowers in remembrance of and respect for the victims,” said Azimio in a statement yesterday evening.

During the vigils, candle lighting and laying of flowers, the opposition urged Kenyans to say prayers and read out the names of the victims of police brutality. They also said that they will provide the list of victims in time for the exercise.

Similarly, they called on religious leaders and Kenyans to extend this important exercise by dedicating Friday, Saturday and Sunday prayers in remembrance of the victims of police brutality during the past demonstrations.

“We ask Kenyans to pray also that the International Criminal Court takes up the- matter based on an expanded list of perpetrators that we intend to furnish with the court in due course,” they said.

Azimio also said it has taken time to get a complete picture of the pain inflicted on protesters.

“While the exercise is incomplete and remains ongoing, a clear picture has emerged of massive casualties. So far, there are at least 50 deaths and hundreds admit- ted in hospitals with grave injuries,” the opposition said.

Police brutality

“Many hospitals have been instructed not to disclose the number of casualties or deaths or even admit victims of police brutality. Many are therefore nursing their injuries at home while others have had their death go unrecorded. Many families

are struggling with bills as a result of the brutal police assault on members,” Azimio regretted.

They further said, “It is clear we are dealing with the unprecedented phenomenon of police brutality and the State resorting to armed militia to quell protests. We have visited hospitals and morgues and we have established that police and hired gangs have shot, killed and wounded scores of people at close range.”

According to Azimio, at the end of this exercise of collecting data, the number of dead will be in the hundreds and the injured in the thousands.

Meanwhile, Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof Kithure Kindiki has warned the opposition that anybody planning to hold demonstrations tomorrow will face the full wrath of the law enforcers.

Peaceful demonstrations

Speaking during a public security Baraza in Kapindasum in Baringo South, Baringo County yesterday, Prof Kindiki said that the protests remain banned adding that police will be deployed in all the hotspots as early as 1 am tonight.

“We decided to sit back and see if they can hold peaceful demonstrations last Wednesday but by the time we mobilised our security agents a lot of destruction had been committed,” Kindiki said.

“They were only peaceful for three hours,” he said, adding, “We will not allow theft, looting, killings and destruction of property again.”

“I want to make it very clear that criminals hiding behind politics to commit

crime will have a date with us and the law enforcement agencies,” he said.

“We’re not suffocating any freedom in this country, there is nothing wrong with the opposition disagreeing with the government on policies or holding rallies but we have a problem with violent protests, looting, paralysing transport and shutting down the economy,” he stated.

He said that the demonstrators are engaging in economic sabotage noting that the government will not allow mayhem, bloodshed and anarchy to prevail.

“We will remain firm. If they try it tomorrow, we’re more than ready. Let them do politics in a civilised way,” he said.

He warned opposition leaders that police will deal with them like any other lawbreaker. “We will deal with them the way we’re dealing with cattle rustlers because there is no difference between them.”

“We will deal with you firmly regardless of your present or past status in society.”