United Green Movement (UGM) party leader David Maraga has called for calm, dialogue and respect for citizens following recent scenes where public gatherings were disrupted by police.
Speaking to the press in Embu town, as reported by K24 Digital, Brian Malila, on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Maraga said the use of force to silence citizens is an outdated strategy and an attempt to escape from political dialogue instead of engaging the people.
“You cannot gain legitimacy through intimidation. The only viable path forward is to allow citizens to freely exercise their democratic rights and engage with other leaders,” Maraga said.
His remarks follow a public debate sparked by a recent rally in Kitengela. Maraga described the event as peaceful until police officers arrived, claiming that they lobbed teargas unnecessarily.
The aftermath of the Kitengela meeting was the unfortunate death of 28-year-old Vincent Ayomo, who died of a bullet wound, even though it is unclear whether it was the police who fired the shot.
“The gathering was orderly and calm. There was absolutely no justification for disrupting and dispersing those people,” Maraga noted.
He also referred to an incident in Nyeri where women, children and worshippers were reportedly caught up in teargas, urging planners of such actions to reconsider their approach.
“It is unacceptable that innocent wananchi, including women, elderly and children, were subjected to tear gas without provocation; that is not how a democratic state should operate. Why should people in church be teargassed,” he stated.
Maraga termed continued crackdowns on opposition meetings as “anachronistic,” saying Kenya has moved away from the era of political repression and that citizens expect mature engagement.
Beyond public gatherings, Maraga also weighed in on voter registration, responding to concerns by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission over low turnout in the recent exercise.
He criticised the IEBC for centralising the registration at constituency headquarters and urged the commission to rethink its strategy.
“Why should citizens travel long distances to access a basic democratic service? The IEBC should take registration services to the grassroots, not wait for wananchi to look for them,” Maraga said.
On claims that he is a “government project,” Maraga dismissed the allegations.
“Those are mere propaganda statements meant to distract Kenyans. Am in the race to stay,” he said.
He explained that before joining any coalition, he must first clearly communicate his agenda to the public.
“I need to understand what others stand for and whether they are committed to those principles,” he said.
Maraga reiterated that his immediate focus remains on fighting corruption and impunity, stating that corruption and impunity are the primary disasters crippling the nation.
UGM party leader David Maraga has called for calm, dialogue and respect for citizens following recent scenes where public gatherings were disrupted by police.
Speaking to the press in Embu town, Maraga said the use of force to silence citizens is an outdated strategy and an attempt to escape from political dialogue instead of engaging the people.
“You cannot gain legitimacy through intimidation. The only viable path forward is to allow citizens to freely exercise their democratic rights and engage with other leaders,” Maraga said.
His remarks follow a public debate sparked by a recent rally in Kitengela. Maraga described the event as peaceful until police officers arrived, claiming that they lobbed teargas unnecessarily.
“The gathering was orderly and calm. There was absolutely no justification for disrupting and dispersing those people,” Maraga noted.
He also referred to an incident in Nyeri where women, children and worshippers were reportedly caught up in teargas, urging planners of such actions to reconsider their approach.
“It is unacceptable that innocent wananchi, including women, elderly and children, were subjected to tear gas without provocation; that is not how a democratic state should operate. Why should people in church be teargassed?” he stated.
Maraga termed continued crackdowns on opposition meetings as “anachronistic,” saying Kenya has moved away from the era of political repression and that citizens expect mature engagement.
Beyond public gatherings, Maraga also weighed in on voter registration, responding to concerns by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission over low turnout in the recent exercise.
He criticised the IEBC for centralising the registration at constituency headquarters and urged the commission to rethink its strategy.
“Why should citizens travel long distances to access a basic democratic service? The IEBC should take registration services to the grassroots, not wait for wananchi to look for them,” Maraga said.
On claims that he is a “government project,” Maraga dismissed the allegations.
“Those are mere propaganda statements meant to distract Kenyans. Am in the race to stay,” he said.
He explained that before joining any coalition, he must first clearly communicate his agenda to the public.
“I need to understand what others stand for and whether they are committed to those principles,” he said.
Maraga reiterated that his immediate focus remains on fighting corruption and impunity, stating that corruption and impunity are the primary disasters crippling the nation.
