Amnesty International has asked the Government to immediately release all protesters arrested for participating in the Azimio la Umoja protests held today.
In a statement, Amnesty International urged police to refrain from using disproportionate and unlawful force, which might result in injuries and fatalities.
“We have received reports of arbitrary arrests of protestors in Nairobi, Western Kenya, and selective use of excessive force against those exercising their right,” stated Executive Director Irungu Houghton.
According to the human rights organization, measures taken to ensure the Kamukunji rally proceeds peacefully ought to have been deployed across all other parts of the country.
Irungu affirms that protesters should be allowed to express themselves and register their dissent with recent taxation measures and the cost of living.
He notes that today’s protest commemorates the historical “Saba Saba” movement which “significantly expanded human rights and democracy” during the second liberation in the 1990s.
