NAKURU, Kenya, Jun 24 – Church and political leaders in Nakuru have urged the police to practice restraint when handling peaceful protesters during Wednesday’s memorial march.
The leaders condemned police brutality saying it was unnecessary to use excessive force on youthful protesters who were simply trying to correct the government and demand their rights.
Lanet Catholic Parish Priest Lawrence Mbogo said it was unfortunate that fellow countrymen were causing death on citizens instead of providing security.
He noted that Kenyans in general were going through hard times and needed to be given time and space to air their grievances peacefully.
“The Kenyan youth feel forgotten and unheard and that is why they poured to the streets in June last year to protest Finance Bill 2024 among other grievances,” he said.
Mbogo decried the trend of hiring goons to infiltrate the peaceful protests saying that it is a ploy to violate on the right to picket and a recipe for chaos and bloodshed.
He said it was unfortunate for elected leaders to hire gangs to deal with protesters in a country that is governed by law.
On tomorrow’s memorial service, the priest the youth has a cause and that they should allowed to commemorate their colleagues who died last year.
Speaking during a Thanksgiving cum Graduation Ceremony for more than 560 men who were joining Catholic Men Association in Kenya, Fr Mbogo at the same time asked the youth to carry out the memorial march within the law.
Former National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) Chief Executive Officer turned politician, Geoffrey Mwangi pointed out that officers caught beating and injuring protesters should face full force of the law.
“The youth have been oppressed, and they should be given safe space to air their pain and celebrate their colleagues, we expect peace in Nairobi and all the other towns where the memorial services will be held,” he said.
Mwangi who graced the thanksgiving ceremony at St Monica Catholic Church Lanet urged men to also take their leadership roles in their respective communities and guide the country in the right direction.
Bishop Geoffrey Buliba of Christian Brotherhood Church said leaders found to have hired goons who infiltrated protests in Nairobi should be arrested and charged.
“People, including leaders who played a role in the 2007/2008 Post-Election Violence were charged at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, we should consider going the same direction with those causing havoc in the country now,” he said.
Buliba advised the protesters to act responsibly during the memorial service and protect each other from harm.
To the media, the Bishop said it had the responsibility to document that truth for the country and the world to see and judge.
