Raymond Omollo: Govt will protect peaceful protesters and businesses alike
By Viola Kosome, June 20, 2026Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has declared that the Nyanza region has moved beyond the era of street demonstrations and urged residents to register as voters ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during a women’s empowerment forum at Asumbi Girls High School in Rangwe Constituency on June 20, 2026, Omollo said while the government respects the constitutional right of Kenyans to demonstrate peacefully, it will not tolerate actions that disrupt learning, business activities or access to essential services.
His remarks come days before planned nationwide protests scheduled for June 25, 2026, by sections of Kenyans seeking to commemorate last year’s anti-Finance Bill demonstrations and press for accountability on governance issues.
“There has been talk of people who want to demonstrate. As a government, we respect the rights and liberties of every Kenyan as enshrined in the Constitution that allows people to demonstrate, picket and present petitions peacefully and unarmed,” he said.
“The same way we will defend and protect the right to protest and demonstrate, we will also protect the rights of those who want to go about their businesses. We will not allow anyone to stop our children from going to school, stop people from attending to their businesses, going to work or accessing hospitals,” he said.
The Interior PS said residents of the region had embraced peace and development, making his work of maintaining security easier.
“There are those who still want to go for protests, but in our region we closed the demonstrations. Our people have held our name high and made my work as the person in charge of interior security easier,” he said.
Omollo urged those intent on staging protests to “look elsewhere” and allow residents of the region to continue benefiting from development projects being implemented by the national government.
Campaigning for Ruto
The PS also rallied support for President Ruto’s second-term bid, saying the Kenya Kwanza administration had transformed lives through investments in infrastructure, healthcare and education.
“As the people of Homa Bay County, as the people of this region and as Kenyans, we have seen transformation in the lives of our people under the leadership of President Ruto,” he said.
He cited the revival of stalled road projects, implementation of Universal Health Coverage and the recruitment of more than 100,000 teachers within three years as some of the government’s achievements.
“For the first time, you do not have to be employed or have money to access healthcare. Our students are also benefiting because the government has dedicated huge resources to ensure schools have enough teachers,” he said.
Call for voter registration
Omollo argued that development was being felt across all parts of the country, saying regions that had historically lagged were now receiving equal attention from the national government.
“If you go to Kilifi, Nyeri, Kiambu, Wajir or Mandera, you will find a president who is equalising this country for the first time,” he said.
The PS revealed that leaders from the region had agreed to support President Ruto’s re-election next year, urging residents to join the effort to sustain ongoing development programmes.
“As other Kenyans prepare to re-elect President Ruto, we as Luos have agreed with our leaders and residents across this region that we are going to re-elect the president for a second term,” he said.
To strengthen the region’s political influence ahead of the next polls, Omollo urged residents, particularly young people turning 18 before August 2027 , to acquire national identity cards and register as voters.
He disclosed that more than one million eligible voters in the region had not yet registered and challenged residents to increase voter registration ahead of the election.
“We have agreed with officials responsible for issuing identity cards to make the process easier. We want those who have not registered as voters to do so, so that our region can deliver more than three million votes,” he said.
The PS also announced that the government had gazetted several new administrative units countrywide in recent months and was in the process of operationalising them to bring services closer to the people
He called on communities to support the recruitment of competent and patriotic assistant chiefs and chiefs who would help drive government development initiatives at the grassroots level.
“As opportunities arise to hire assistant chiefs and chiefs, give us people of impeccable character and patriotic citizens who will help advance the development agenda we are undertaking,” he said.