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Raila criticises court decision to deploy military in anti-Finance Bill protests

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga addresses the media alongside PCS Musalia Mudavadi on his AUC candidacy, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. (Photo: Raila Odinga)

By Bashir Mohammed | Saturday, June 29, 2024

Raila expressed his concern that the judicial endorsement of this practice undermines the role of the Kenyan police force, which is constitutionally mandated to handle internal security issues.

Azimio leader Raila Odinga has voiced strong opposition to the recent court decision to maintain the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) on the streets during protests, arguing that it is a misapplication of military power.

Speaking at the burial of Elder Owino Nyadi on Saturday, Raila emphasised that the Army's primary role is to defend the nation against foreign threats, not to manage internal civil unrest.

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"The courts were wrong in their ruling to continue to maintain the KDF on the streets," Raila stated. "We have reached a stage where the government has to take the military to the streets. This means the civilian authority has failed. The civilian forces have failed to deal with the people. The Army is not supposed to be in the streets; the army is supposed to defend the country from foreign aggressions, not to deal with internal strikes."

Raila expressed his concern that the judicial endorsement of this practice undermines the role of the Kenyan police force, which is constitutionally mandated to handle internal security issues.

"That's why it is wrong for our courts to rule that you can continue to maintain the army on our streets because we have got Kenyan police to do this," he added.

The ODM leader also criticised the police's handling of protesters, asserting that Kenyan laws protect the right to peaceful assembly and demonstration.

"Peaceful demonstrators should be escorted by the police and not shot by the police. What we have seen is unacceptable and we condemn in the strongest terms possible the brutal force by police against innocent people in our country," he said.

Military vehicles with the Kenya Defence Forces officers pass through Nairobi CBD as protests continue. (Photo: Hafsa Hassan)

Raila lamented the loss of young lives during recent protests, attributing the fatalities to excessive police force.

"The country lost so many young promising lives within the last one week unnecessarily because of what I refer to as 'trigger-happy policemen.' In civilian authorities all over the world, police are not supposed to shoot at protesters. Their responsibility is to protect the lives and property of people."

He further condemned rogue police officers who indiscriminately use firearms against civilians, labelling such actions as criminal.

"A police officer who goes out and goes rogue to shoot aimlessly is a criminal who should be dealt with by the law. What we saw the other day was unimaginable and completely unprecedented. In the 61 years of Kenyan independence, we have never seen things like this before."

Raila also questioned the narrative surrounding alleged goons at the protests, demanding that the relevant authorities clarify who was responsible for their deployment.