Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leader Raila Odinga yesterday dared President William Ruto ahead of tomorrow’s protests, even as police outlawed the demonstrations citing possible violence.
Mr Odinga maintained that the anti-government protests will go on despite the police ban, noting that the Constitution gives Kenyans the right to demonstrate.
“Unless Mr Ruto wants to suspend the Constitution and rule by decree, we will exercise our right to assemble, demonstrate, picket and present petitions on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, as earlier announced, dark threats notwithstanding,” Mr Odinga said in a terse statement yesterday.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader said the Constitution, in Article 37, provides that “every person has the right, peaceably and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket, and to present petitions to public authorities”.
But Nairobi regional police boss Adamson Bungei warned that any demonstrations will be dispersed by law enforcement officers, raising the possibility of chaos as police are likely to face resistance from opposition supporters.
In a media briefing flanked by senior police officers from Nairobi, Mr Bungei said the demonstrations have been banned because past ones, even though they were labelled peaceful, were marred by violence, looting and death.
