Kindiki Kithure, the Interior Cabinet Secretary, has laid out the terms under which opposition leaders whose security details were withdrawn during the anti-government protests might seek for their restoration.
Speaking before the Parliamentary Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity on Thursday, CS Kindiki stated that the government would only consider reinstating the leaders’ security staff provided they followed police ultimatums of not holding maandamano.
“We provide security to everyone in the country. Those affected members, if they have stopped what was happening, they can still talk to us, we will give them security, they are entitled to security,” he said
Despite acknowledging that leaders had the right to access security guards, the CS maintained that individuals seeking government protection must agree not to destroy State or citizen property in the name of demonstrations.
Kasipul MP Charles Were, on the other hand, criticised the CS, claiming that since there are no active riots at the moment, the President William Ruto government should have already reinstated the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leaders’ protection.
In response, CS Kindiki stated that it was wrong to have armed officers defending leaders who are also organising the disturbances.
“These are people who are serving in the same agency with police who were containing the protests…you can easily create a very ugly situation so we said all those who were exercising their right of picketing should do so peacefully and unarmed,” he explained.
