By Jacktone Mjumbe Ambuka
It’s Deeply Concerning President Uhuru Kenyatta Is Silent On Police Brutality.
1. With less than about 450 days to the general election, signs that kenya is between a hard place and a rock are evident with tribal tension escalating to a dangerous level particularly on social media.
2. Sadly, instead of taking huge responsibility as a ruling coalition to heal tbe country and perhaps annihilate corruption, Jubilee administration continues to romanticize corruption and wink at drum beaters of ethnic animosity.
3. The state seems determined to supress constitutional right to demonstration as enshrined in articke 37 of the constitution.
4. Whilst peaceful demonstrations and presentation of petitions to authorities are sacrosanct provisions in the constitution, Jubilee administratin continues to violate that with impunity.
5. Demonstrators are teargased, beaten, arrested and brutalized in full violation of their rights. Today, media has reported an innocent civilian in Kisumu was shot dead by a bullet of a brutal police.
6. Just yesterday, Uhuru kenyatta condemned violent demonstrators. He also lashed at demonstrators who destroy property and endanger lives. I applud the president for that.
7. In fact, such demonstrators must not only be repudiated, but be subjected to the fullest extent of the law.
8. However, what is deeply concerning is that president Uhuru hasn’t condemned unprecedented police brutality meted unjustly against innocent civilians exercising their constitutional rights.
9. In his capacity as commander in chief of the armed forces, president Uhuru kenyatta should have condemned both violent protesters as well as police brutality. He should have reasured the nation that both violent protesters and police hooligans who brutalized citizens, will and must face full force of the law.
10. By chosing a factional and skewed response to unfolding events of skyrocketing police brutality, president failed to live up to his constitutional mandate of protecting citizens and defending the constitution he swore to protect. In essence, he winked at violent police. What that means is that Uhuru kenyatta is slowly but steadily turning into a tyrant. It also means, he is taking us back to the days of police state when citizens were brutalized and detained without trial. We reject that dispensation. But truthfully, we have many reasons to be worried.
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