United Green Movement joins protests against Finance Bill, condemns police brutality

Officials of the United Green Movement party on Friday joined the ongoing protests against Finance Bill 2024, warning that the Kenyans may be forced to picket for the longest time possible should their calls not be heeded by the government.

Youth leaders from the party announced that their members will be joining other Kenyans in urging lawmakers to reject the Bill in totality and not in sections or clauses.

The leaders led by Terry Kambua and Bini Amin Salat said the police brutality resulting in the death of protester Rex Masai will not dampen the spirit of young Kenyans who are feeling the heat of economic difficulty allegedly orchestrated by the punitive taxes set by the government.

Rex was allegedly shot and killed by police during the protests in Nairobi at about 7 pm along Moi Avenue.

"The Kenya Kwanza administration campaigned on the platform of a bottom-up economic model. However, in the past two years, Kenya Kwanza has shown Kenyans that it is a government that came into office and did not have a plan," said Kambua.

They demanded that the police stop brutality on protesters who they described as peaceful. In their explanation, those demonstrating are doing it for their future.

"We appeal to Kenyans to continue supporting the protests in whatever form. Join in your county, amplify on social media the voices of those in the streets," said Kambua.

The movement thanked places of worship like the Jamia Mosque that have opened their doors as havens for the protesters.

The group, through their lawyers, is planning to write to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the property and wealth that have been acquired both locally and internationally by the 204 MPs who okayed the Finance Bill 2024 on Thursday.

The movement's request to the anti-graft agency is set to be also extended to the presidency, all cabinet secretaries, all Principal Secretaries, The speakers of both the Senate and the National Assembly, all the President's Economic Advisors and all governors.

"We will give the EACC two weeks, ending July 9, within which to publish this information in the manner anticipated in line with Section 30 of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act. Should the EACC refuse to perform the aforesaid acts, the public will lead the supply of this information," said Salat.

In the same matter, the International Human Rights Organisation, Amnesty International, has also condemned the killing of Rex.

Speaking on Friday, Amnesty International Executive Director Irungu Houghton said the Thursday protests were very peaceful before one person was shot dead.

"We are deeply concerned and outraged by the killing of Rex last night. In what was a remarkable day where we had thousands of Kenyans on the streets of Nairobi," he said.

"Under the cover of darkness, we are sad and shocked like the rest of Kenyans to hear that a police officer has killed a young Kenyan."

Houghton further issued seven conditions to be reviewed by police ahead of next week's protests. He added that the National Police Service should stop using non-uniformed officers to keep protesters at bay.

The human rights organisation further called on NPS to release statistics on the numbers of Kenyans injured and those allegedly killed by police.

"We would like to see the same level of attention paid to the police inspector who tragically lost his arms while holding a teargas canister applied to the family of Rex. We would like to see somebody at the level of a CS give sympathy and compassion to the family of the protester killed," Houghton added.