Sifuna recounts police brutality on protesters as he tours Museum of Free Derry in Ireland
Nairobi County Senator Edwin Sifuna has recounted the brutality meted out against peaceful protesters by police in Kenya as he toured the Museum of Free Derry in Derry, Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom(UK).
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General in a statement via his official X account on Monday, June 3, 2024, said the tour of the museum had evoked terrible memories of Kenya's experience with police brutality.
The vocal senator noted that it took 12 years and millions of dollars for the victims of Bloody Sunday in Derry to be vindicated, emphasizing that justice can eventually come.
"A tour of the Museum of Free Derry has evoked terrible memories of our own experiences with police brutality and state-sanctioned violence on peaceful protesters. It took over 12 years and millions of dollars for the victims of Bloody Sunday in Derry to be vindicated. Justice comes, eventually," Sifuna posted.
A tour of the Museum of Free Derry has evoked terrible memories of our own experiences with police brutality and state sanctioned violence on peaceful protesters. It took over 12 years and millions of dollars for the victims of Bloody Sunday in Derry to be vindicated. Justice… pic.twitter.com/JKcSx1miE5
— Edwin Sifuna (@edwinsifuna) June 3, 2024
The Museum of Free Derry tells the story of how a largely working-class community rose up against the years of oppression it had endured.
Bloody Sunday
The museum also tells the story of Bloody Sunday, the day when the British Army committed mass murder on the streets of the Bogside.
It tells the story of how the people of Derry, led by the families of the victims, overcame the injustice and wrote a new chapter in the history of civil rights, which has become a source of international inspiration. 
The museum is a public space where the concept of Free Derry can be explored in both historic and contemporary contexts.
Sifuna jetted out of the country for the UK in the company of the ODM party leader Raila Odinga on May 23, 2024.
Oxford University invite
The duo embarked on the UK journey following an invitation from the Oxford Africa Society.
Raila delivered a keynote address at the University of Oxford on Friday, May 24, 2024, titled titled; Forging Africa's Future: A Journey of Resilience and Renewal.
Sifuna had expressed his gratitude for receiving an invite from the University of Oxford.
"Honored to be invited to a panel at this year’s Oxford University Africa Conference alongside Baba who will be giving the Keynote address," Sifuna stated.
Police brutality in Kenya
The opposition has for the longest time endured police brutality while protesting against various issues in the country, among them electoral malpractices, and high cost of living.
On March 30, 2023, Raila's convoy was attacked by the police at the Kware area in Embakasi South during the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition mass protests against the August 2022 election results.
Following the incident, Raila claimed that there was an attempt on his life after his car was allegedly shot at seven times.
Raila in a statement issued via social media and a subsequent press conference at his Capitol Hill office condemned the police for using excessive force during peaceful demonstrations.
"There's no justification for the excessive force used against peaceful unarmed citizens exercising their democratic rights today. The unprovoked attack left my car hit with 7 live bullets, each aimed at me," he said.
Raila's convoy was viciously repulsed by police as it exited Kware in Pipeline on its way to the Central Business District.
He was forced to take a detour on the Eastern Bypass after protesters were dispersed with teargas and his convoy blocked from accessing Outering Road by water cannons.
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