Nairobi, Kenya, Jan 19- The National Police Service has termed as baseless allegations by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party that it is taking sides in election campaigns by failing to stop violence.
Police Spokesman Bruno Shioso said the claims by the party that is associated with Deputy President William Ruto are ‘outrageous” and only aimed at tarnishing its name.
“The allegations form a sustained and regrettable streak of unfounded, outrageous, and provocative allegations by the leadership of the party,” Shioso said in a statement Tuesday.
He was responding to claims by UDA party that wrote to President Uhuru Kenyatta Monday, over alleged state-sponsored violence on its campaigns following the recent incident in Jacaranda where Ruto’s rally was briefly disrupted by a rival group.
The party accused the police of turning a blind eye on the perpetrators of violence against them.
“As a general rule, nothing has been done by the security agencies to prevent or arrest this egregious criminality. Without any form of accountability, the emboldened perpetrators continue to gloat over their deeds and threaten to unleash worse mayhem in future,” UDA said in the letter that was copied to the police chief Hilary Mutyambai, Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji, the US Embassy, the UK High Commission, the International Criminal Court (ICC) among other agencies.
UDA further claimed that no action has been taken by police despite reporting at least six violent incidents to the Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai.
“This negligence on their part is not only dismaying to all law-abiding Kenyans, and disappointing to the UDA fraternity, but it also explicitly signals the State’s approval or support for the criminal acts of ethnic and political violence conducted in furtherance of a divisive agenda obviously focused on the 2022 General Election,” the letter read
However, Police Spokesperson Bruno Shioso said Wednesday that none of the allegations listed in the said letter have been formally reported to the police.
The letter cites six incidences in Busia, Kisii, Taita Taveta, Murang’a Kondele in Kisumu, attended by Deputy President William Ruto, which they want investigated and action taken.
Here is the letter: OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
On Tuesday, Shioso maintained that the National Police Service is “always committed to the rule of law and upholding of laid out protocols that guide the conduct of political rallies and other public events.”
“As the country heads to the General Election, we urge all stakeholders to exercise sobriety and refrain from acts and deeds that undermine our institutions and offices that are critical to the unity and security of the Nation,” he said.
Other agencies copied in the letter have not responded.
