Africa-Press – Kenya. President William Ruto should stop the police from ‘misusing’ guns, Teso North MP Oku Kaunya said on Monday.
He said the brutality exhibited by the police last week during Azimio’s Wednesday to Friday demonstrations is an indicator Kenya is “sliding into lawlessness”.
The MP said Kenyans cannot continue to lose lives at the hands of officers trained to protect them and their property.
The MP’s remarks followed an outcry by Azimio leadership over alleged killing of its supporters in Nairobi, Kisumu, among other areas, where the demonstrations took place.
“We are worried because of the increased use of excessive force by the police,” Kaunya said.
“When you find people standing by the roadside unarmed or when you find people inside their houses and you arrest, take them out of their houses and shoot them, is that right?”
Kaunya spoke four days after Ruto commended the police for preserving peace during the anti-government protests.
“I want to congratulate our police officers for being firm on their stand and ensuring that there is peace and that all the criminals are taken care of,” the President said.
Ruto spoke in Isiolo town on Thursday during his tour in the county where he launched road construction projects.
The President said Kenya must safeguard its peace and attaining stability is a collective responsibility.
He said the police had worked tirelessly during the Azimio demos to ensure peace prevails. The President said law enforcers will continue to protect both individual and government property.
But Kaunya said protests are within the law and it was unfair for police officers to stop demonstrations geared towards lowering the cost of living.
“There is no law in Kenya that allows police to shoot and kill unarmed civilians because the law that we have says that a police officer is only allowed to shoot at somebody when the officer is sure his or her life is in danger,” the lawmaker said.
“A police officer is not allowed to shoot at someone who is not armed and when the officer’s life is not in danger. How do you shoot at someone hiding in their house unarmed? That is unacceptable. We want to tell President William Ruto that there is need for all of us to follow the law. We ask the President to make sure guns are not misused.”
Kaunya spoke in support of Azimio MPs who on July 20 alleged that police had been instructed to execute innocent protesters.
The MPs led by National Assembly Minority leader Opiyo Wandayi said Azimio wants the international community to keenly monitor the situation in Kenya and the Director of Public Prosecutions to probe the ‘executions’ and ‘abduction’ of their colleagues.
Those shot and killed, the MPs said, were Azimio supporters in Nairobi, Kisumu, Kisii, Busia among other regions that took part in the protests.
Wandayi claimed that shootings by the police indicate the officers were acting on instruction.
“Police are executing Kenyans in broad daylight. This is the first time this is happening since the promulgation of the new Constitution,” he said.
Kaunya spoke at Amagoro town in Teso North subcounty during the launch of KMTC Teso Campus Annex.
The annex is set to admit new students starting September and will accommodate medical students studying five different courses.
It has the capacity to admit up to 400 students.
Also present during the event were Malaba South MCA Boniface Ekada and county assembly deputy speaker Ronald Ochalu, KMTC Teso campus principal Daniel Kirui, Teso North constituency manager Ronald Opagala, among others.
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