There was a second attempt to invade Parliament, says Interior CS Kindiki

Kenya narrowly averted a second major crisis as police prevented an attempt to set fire to Parliament, just two days after protesters stormed the building on June 25.

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security on Thursday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki revealed that on June 27, at 4 am, a suspect carrying fuel was arrested outside Parliament, allegedly planning to torch the building.

"Two days after we frustrated the efforts to burn Parliament and kill members, we arrested a suspect outside Parliament at 4 am carrying fuel intending to go and raze Parliament," Kindiki informed the committee.

This alarming event followed the violent invasion of Parliament on June 25, where protesters opposed to the Finance Bill 2024 caused significant disruption.

However, the Interior CS did not share more information about the person arrested or if formal charges had been made.

Kindiki likened the attack to the well-known January 6, 2021, riots at the US Capitol, emphasising the need for stronger security around Parliament.

But even with the police successfully preventing this second attempt, the CS claimed that many Kenyans are still anxious, worried that similar events could happen again.

“The characters who came to Parliament were not coming for fun. They were coming to burn Parliament and kill people. They were coming to cause grave harm,” Kindiki claimed.

The CS also claimed that the protests in June and July aimed to unconstitutionally overthrow President William Ruto's government.

Kindiki stated that the demonstrators focused on key constitutional institutions, including the Parliament, the Judiciary, and even the State House.

“There was an attempt to attack and set fire to other protected areas such as the Supreme Court. The office of the Chief Justice was also targeted, which means the entire Judiciary was under threat," he told the MPs.

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula revealed that property worth Sh94 million was destroyed during the protests on June 25.

Wetang’ula said the assessment and valuation were done by an insurance firm.

"That is the damage we suffered. So the insurance firm has taken up the matter," he said.

The Speaker said when the protestors invaded Parliament on June 25, they broke furniture, damaged the buildings and even smashed a television screen.

However, it was noted that taxpayers will not incur any costs as the insurance company will replace all the items, including repairing damaged structures.

The Occupy Parliament protesters on that day broke through the barricades of parliament.

They opposed the passage of the Finance Bill, 2024, which MPs passed that morning with 195 votes against 106 who opposed it.

The protesters uprooted the national flag within Parliament precincts with reports indicating that a number of the protesters were shot and killed outside Parliament.

President William Ruto said that the protesters who stormed Parliament were criminals, and stated that they had an agenda to invade the armoury and the mausoleum, indicating that they were organised and had a target.