Raila Odinga Blasts Ruto over Order to Police to Shoot Violent Protesters: "Reject Deadly Powers"
- President William Ruto's order to the police to shoot but not kill protesters who partake in violence and lawlessness continues to attract condemnation
- The latest to differ with the president is ODM leader Raila Odinga, who urged the state to prosecute lawbreakers instead of maiming or killing them
- Raila suggested that the president's command to police is against the rule of law tenets that have defined Kenya as a democracy since independence
Eli Odaga, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
ODM boss Raila Odinga has condemned President William Ruto's order to shoot and incapacitate protesters deemed violent.
Source: Twitter
Why Raila differed with Ruto
Raila spoke to the fact that Kenya is not a police state or dictatorship; he said the rule of law reigns supreme.
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In the event of criminals infiltrating the protests, Raila asked the authorities to arrest and present them before justice.
"In a protest or any other environment that requires law enforcement, all the above orders-shoot to kill, maim, disorient or shock citizens are wrong. As a country, we must at all times opt for the Rule of Law and due process and reject the temptation to give police illegitimate and deadly powers over citizens even when the citizens are perceived to have broken the law," Raila said in his statement on X.
According to Raila, the aspect of "innocent until proven guilty" remains key in the country's criminal justice system.
A change for the worse would not be tolerated, Raila added.
The former prime minister called for the utilisation of the courts and judicial system to hold those perceived to have broken the law to account.
Anything else would amount to a violation of human rights, he said.
"We are all better served as a country when we stick to the principle that everyone is innocent until proven guilty; a determination that can only be made by a competent court of law. Let's prioritize arrests and arraignment in courts over killing, maiming or brutalizing of suspects. This preserves the dignity and respects the human rights of suspects while at the same time confers credibility to the actions of the State,"
Adding that;
"As a country, we militarized approach to should do everything to avoid the policing. Examples from around the continent show that such an approach only increases risk of violence. A militarised approach to policing endangers both the suspect and the law enforcement officers."
What Ruto ordered police to do
Addressing residents of Kilimani earlier in the week, the president declared that he wouldn't sit back and watch criminals and anarchists wreak havoc.
Source: Twitter
Ruto observed that perpetrators of crimes had taken advantage of the protests to attack innocent civilians and destroy properties.
The president ordered the police to shoot the purported criminals with the intent of incapacitating them; shooting on the legs would suffice, according to the president.
He added that once shot, the criminals would be hospitalised, after which they would be prosecuted for their actions.
Ruto's orders sparked considerable uproar, with concerned groups arguing it was a veiled shoot-to-kill command to the law enforcers.
Justifying his command, the president argued that the criminals deserve no mercy owing to the brutality and hostility with which they carry out their aggression.
What did Murkomen and Koech say?
The president's order came weeks after Interior CS Kichumba Murkomen issued a shoot-to-kill order for police officers who face imminent danger in the course of their work.
Murkomen said it was unacceptable for the public to storm police stations and cause destruction or threaten the lives of law enforcers.
On Thursday, July 10, Belgut MP Nelson Koech, who also serves as the chairperson for the National Assembly's committee on Defence and Foreign Relations, backed Ruto and Murkomen's orders, saying police officers should be allowed to gun down rowdy rioters.
Koech's remarks elicited public anger, with Kenyans on social media calling for his arrest and prosecution.
The youthful lawmaker said the president had been kind in asking the police to shoot the rioters in the leg, arguing that the correct directive should be to shoot to kill.
Masolo Mabonga, HOD Current Affairs and Politics, updated this article with details on what CS Murkomen and MP Koech said on police shooting orders.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
