Raila faults international community for silence amidst police brutality in Kenya
Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition party leader Raila Odinga has challenged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to defend the rights of Kenyans being violated by the government.
Raila said it’s so unfortunate that President William Ruto, who swore to protect the lives of Kenyans, has turned out to "end their lives with their own taxes".
“Let ICC stand with Kenyans in these trying moments now that the international community has resolved to be silent and not interested in intruding into our affairs," Raila stated.
Raila said the international community is silent and less concerned with the going ons in the country, reading mischief in the way the ICC prosecutor was treated by Ruto.
“The Prosecutor Karim Khan was treated by the Head of State and given a chopper to collect an honorary degree. I want to ask the ICC to be true in its efforts towards protecting and defending innocent Kenyans," he added.
“We can tell our people to stay home as a way of protesting such illegitimate government,” Raila said, adding that Kenya as a country has been reduced to police territory like that which was witnessed in Germany during President Adolf Hittler's reign.
Raila on signatures
Raila said the ongoing collection of signatures will enable them to opt for self-determination which has been "embraced by a majority of Kenyans".
"DP Rigathi Gachagua's claim that Kenya is a private club where those with big shares run its affairs is totally wrong statement which indicates that those who voted for Azimio are not gaining from this government,” said Raila.
He faulted President Ruto for congratulating police for shooting peaceful protestors on claiming that they were protecting property.
“Would want to know the property that was destroyed in Nyanza, Western that amounted to the killing of the innocent Kenyans. He(Ruto) had said “tutawakalia Ngumu, tutawanyorosha" and days after the incidences he congratulated the police for a good job," he added.
"Which property was destroyed in Bondo, Sondu, Migori, Nyalenda that warranted the death of Luos? This was a planned wanton killing of our people but that will not deter us from pushing for the reduction of the high cost of living and electoral justice."
In the same breath, Azimio co-principal Martha Karua said that the treaties allegedly signed secretly by Ruto to evade cases at the ICC will not succeed.
Karua said they will challenge all the treaties being signed by Ruto meant to insulate him against any charges against humanity at the ICC.
“The killings will be avenged. You can sign treaties the way you like but we shall challenge it in courts. The buck stops with President Ruto and hence he will be responsible for police killings," Karua said.
The opposition leaders also castigated Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome’s recent statements that corpses were hired and paraded by the opposition.
Led by James Opiyo Wandayi, the opposition said Koome’s statement in regards to the brutality meted out against the Luo community who were peacefully protesting against the high cost of living is totally wrong.
“Koome can't in broad-day light tell Kenyans that those who fell or got injured as a result of the police bullets were just corpses hired by Azimio to push for their selfish interests. That is a totally wrong statement from a leader of his calibre,” said Wandayi
Wandayi said as Azimio, they are going to put a strong case against the police and their masters whose actions led to the deaths of the Kenyans who were fed up with the high cost of living.
Wandayi mentioned that those killed by police bullets are more than 60, and they are preparing a case that will see those who caused the deaths prosecuted.
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka called for the resignation of Koome.
“The only way Koome can get away from the criminal liability is to resign but again that will not be enough. I was with Raila the day the state machinery were ordered to end Raila’s life during the demonstrations. The police never used teargas but assault weapons," Kalonzo said.
Siaya Governor James Orengo trashed remarks by Koome saying that police were handling every body that was fallen by bullets in Siaya and has records supporting the same.
“The police protocol demands that bodies be handled by police and we have records to that effect. All the dead bodies including Eliam Michael Oduor in Kisumu were processed by police officers in their postmortem,” Orengo said.
“Raila and I have been in a demonstration and had never witnessed the atrocities we witnessed in these demos. The assault weapons used in the demonstration were for military use and for procession. Several Kenyan were ended by gunshots that came from assault weapons that are used in the military. It's so unfortunate that the officers who were in civilian clothes were using revolvers to kill Kenyans.”
Orengo said the water canons used to scare the demonstrators were poisonous and were meant for military use.
DAP-K leader Eugine Wamalwa said ending lives of Kenyans is not worth congratulating.
“Koome and police are very small in regards to the incidences and brutality actions that ended lives of our people. I just want to ask the President, is putting the lives of the Azimio supporters six feet down a good job worth congratulating?” Wamalwa posed.
Other leaders including Roots party Leader George Wajakoyah, Homa-bay Governor Gladys Wanga, Rarieda Mp Otiende Amollo and several Azimio MCAs condemned police killings saying that they shall soldier on in seeing to it that the lives of Azimio followers are not lost in vain
