Police have been given orders to shoot protesters ­– Azimio

Opposition leaders now claim the State had given police clear instructions to kill citizens who are demonstrating against the high cost of living.

The leaders claimed the instructions were given at a meeting in State House when President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua met Kenya Kwanza MPs on Saturday on how to counter the Azimio street protests that started on Wednesday.

Led by National Assembly Minority leader Opiyo Wandayi (Ugunja), the lawmakers called on the international community and its agencies to take keen interest in the Kenyan situation terming it “genocide” in the making.

“What is of utmost concern is the unprecedented levels of police brutality. There could have been a plan of execution of police killing Kenyans in broad day light. We are asking the international community and its agencies to take serious note with a view to holding to account those responsible for these heinous acts,” said Wandayi.

The legislator further asked the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to launch investigations impartially and charge the perpetrators of the police brutality on unarmed demonstrators.

Yesterday, Wandayi, Sam Atandi (Alego), Anthony Kibagendi (Kitutu Chache South), Wilberforce Oundo (Funyula), Anthony Oluoch (Mathare) and Senators Godfrey Osotsi (Vihiga), Beth Syengo (Nominated) and Hamida Kibwana (Nominated) called for a stop to the arbitrary arrest of leaders.

Their plea came after Babu Owino (Embakasi East), his Kilifi South counterpart Ken Chonga and Kilifi County Assembly Speaker Teddy Mwambire were arrested.

“The Kenya Kwanza regime has suspended the Constitution that is why they are arresting and abducting the people without taking them to court within 24 hours as stipulated in law. The right to assembly, to picket and to demonstrate is enshrined in the Constitution,” said Osotsi.

“We are seeing clear ingredients of international crimes and crimes against humanity. We are now seeing unlawful arrests and abductions of leaders allied to Azimio. There is no law that allows the police to hold any person for more than 24 hours and incommunicado,” said Wandayi.

Political prisoners
By last evening, Owino, Chonga and Mwambire had been taken to court.
According to Wandayi, who is also the ODM Director of Political Affairs, incarceration without trial amounted to making some Kenyans political prisoners.

“We have written to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take note of the happenings in Kenya. We would not be here if we had not written to them,” said Wandayi.

On Wednesday, Opposition leader Raila Odinga claimed that Kenya Kwanza had revived and resourced a killer squad named Operation Support Unit (OSU) and embedded it to the official police service to carry out dirty work.

Without tabling evidence, Raila said they had accurate and detailed information about the OSU whose members wear civilian clothes.

In his statement, Raila appealed to the police to avoid being turned into a killer squad for hire by politicians.

“We appeal to our police to maintain professionalism. We appeal to the police to resist being used to provide cover for a tribal militia that kills people in the name of police. A time will come when all these crimes will be answered for. Everyone involved, including President Ruto himself, needs to think and think again before committing these crimes against citizens,” said Raila.

The ODM leader said they have always appealed to protesters to remain peaceful and continue to do so, and urged his supporters to obey the law and respect private and public property in the course of protests.

“We maintain that our activities are peaceful until the police decide to break them up with bullets and teargas.”

He said that a few days ago, he was able to get into Nairobi city centre, address people and disperse peacefully without any injuries or deaths “because there were no police”.

“All our engagements are peaceful until the police show up. We reiterate that we have instructed our lawyers to prepare and institute legal proceedings against police officers who have gone against their constitutional duty of protecting the life and property of Kenyans during protests,” said Raila.