‘Courts wrong to allow KDF deployment’ – Raila

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has criticised the courts for allowing the use of Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) to quell internal strife.

Raila's comment comes after the High Court ruled that the state can deploy KDF to help the police deal with an internal conflict.

Raila criticizes courts

"It is even wrong for our courts to rule that you can take the army to the streets. We have the Kenyan police to deal with this. The law allows the Kenyan people to peacefully picket and demonstrate against what they do not like. Peaceful demonstrators should actually be escorted by the police.

"They should not be shot at by the police. We reached a stage where even the government had to bring the military from the barracks, and this means the civilian authority has failed. The civilian authorities have failed to deal with the people.

"The military is not supposed to be in the streets. The army is there to defend the country from foreign aggression, not to deal with internal strife," Raila said on Saturday, June 29, 2024.

In his ruling, Justice Lawrence Mugambi said that military intervention is sometimes necessary to protect the public and critical infrastructure. However, he instructed the government to clearly outline and publicize the scope, duration, and specific areas of the military intervention within two days.

This, to him, is key in helping to mitigate public fear and ensure confidence in the protection of their liberties during the military engagement.

Police condemned

Meanwhile, Raila also added his voice to the reported use of brutal force by the police against the protestors, who were voicing their discontent against the Finance Bill.

"We are at a crossroads in Kenya today. First, I want to pay my condolences to all those who lost loved ones. We lost so many young, promising lives unnecessarily this past week.

"This is because of trigger-happy policemen who have been given instructions to shoot and kill. In civilian authorities all over the world, police are not supposed to shoot to kill people," the former premier said.

He added that the police who used force should face the law.

"Police responsibility is to protect the lives and property of the people, but a police officer who goes out and becomes rogue and shoots aimlessly is a criminal who needs to be dealt with according to the law.

"What we saw, the bloodletting, is completely unacceptable. We condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the brutal use of the police force against the people of our country.

"What we saw the other day is something not imaginable and is completely unprecedented in 61 years of our independence. We have never seen something like this," the opposition leader continued.

Remain firm

Raila also encouraged dissatisfied Kenyans to continue airing their voices on national issues they do not agree with.

"Time has now come for Kenyan people to come together as people of Kenya, talk as one people, and talk about the Kenya we want. Our people should continue to remain firm; God is with us, and if God is with us, who can be against us?" he concluded.