President William Ruto has unequivocally labeled those who invaded and set fire to parts of Parliament as criminals, not protesters. During a roundtable interview with local media on Sunday night, June 30, 2024, Ruto stated that the attackers targeted specific sensitive areas within the parliamentary complex.
“There is a situation in Parliament. How did the invaders in Parliament, they invaded Parliament and went straight for the armoury at the mausoleum. They went straight at the armoury at the sergeant at arms office. Those are the investigations that we will get to and a proper explanation will be given to the country,” Ruto stated.
The President emphasized that the anti-Finance Bill protests had been infiltrated by criminal elements who subsequently caused chaos and harmed the genuine protesters.
“There are criminals who infiltrated and caused mayhem. And in fact, some of the criminals actually harmed the peaceful protesters. Some of the peaceful protesters lost phones. In fact, some of the peaceful protesters were attacked by criminals including the clear example that I have explained to you that they overpowered the police, took the gun from the police, and started shooting people,” Ruto explained.
Ruto’s remarks come amid heightened tensions following the controversial Finance Bill, which sparked widespread protests led predominantly by Gen Z. Although the President has announced he will not sign the bill into law, the protests have been marred by violence and accusations of heavy-handedness by security forces.
The President has called for multi-sectoral forums to address the grievances raised by the youth and other stakeholders. However, critics like musician Otile Brown have dismissed the forums as unnecessary, arguing that the government already knows the solutions to the youth’s discontent and should focus on action rather than dialogue.
This latest development adds to the growing concern over the security situation in Kenya and the handling of political dissent. The investigation into the Parliament invasion and the identification of the perpetrators will be closely watched as the government seeks to restore order and address the root causes of the unrest.
