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I have no blood on my hands, Ruto says after deadly Finance Bill protests

President William Ruto addresses a meeting on June 29, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

By Mwangi Maina | Sunday, June 30, 2024

Ruto appeared to pass the blame to the police service, saying it does not report to him and that it must have had a reason to act the way it did.

President William has sought to clear himself of wrongdoing, following two weeks of deadly protests over the Finance Bill, 2024, saying he has no blood on his hands and that the criminals behind lawlessness will appear in court this week.

Ruto said so on live television on Sunday night, in a roundtable interview broadcast from the State House in Nairobi, with Linus Kaikai (Citizen TV), Joe Ageyo (NTV), and Eric Latiff (KTN).

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The journalists had placed the number of deaths from the demonstrations at 24, quoting the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), but Ruto said the figure was 19.

"I have no blood on my hands … 19 people are on record as dead ... very unfortunate … as a democracy, that should not be part of our conversation,” he said.

Ruto appeared to pass the blame to the police service, saying it does not report to him and that it must have had a reason to act the way it did.

"I said the police would be independent. I said there would be no extrajudicial killings. I have kept my promises," the president said, adding that arrests cannot be classified as kidnappings.

There have been many reports of people kidnapped, with at least 39 incidents so far, apparently for voicing strong opinions against the government and supporting the protests.

Tens of human rights organisations have mounted pressure on the government to take responsibility for excessive police action during protests, and for the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to carry out a detailed and impartial probe.

Ruto also discredited the KNCHR, describing it as "reckless for saying there was a massacre while there was none."

The president further explained that the police have a difficult job of keeping criminals at bay and that there must be a balance in his leadership, which he noted means protecting the people as well as the government.

He insisted that criminals infiltrated the protests, stole weapons, and harmed peaceful protesters, and asked the interviewers to consider that government property was destroyed and crimes committed.

Ruto also reported that property worth Sh2.4 billion was either destroyed or burned during the protests.

Pressed about specific cases of killed protesters, such as that of a 12-year-old boy in Rongai, the head of state promised parents that he would offer them an explanation.

“The loss of any life should concern everyone, including myself. I will give the mother of the 12-year-old an explanation of what happened and make sure that we bring this to a situation where children are accounted for,” he said.

Regarding police accountability, he added, "We must operate within the parameters of the rule of law. It is very clear that [for] any actions outside the parameters of the law, the police will be held to account."

Ruto further said his Kenya Kwanza government listens to the young and is keen on addressing their primary issues, primary among them being unemployment.

He highlighted projects centred on youth as well as actions taken on the budget as proof that his administration listens to the public.

Additional reporting by Maureen Kinyanjui