From State House to church pulpits, anxiety mounts over protests

Threats have been issued, meetings convened and others cancelled in anticipation of the June 25 protests. And it is not just President William Ruto and his administration who are anxious. Young people, clergy, business owners and even boda boda operators are jittery about tomorrow's demonstrations.

The planned protests, intended to commemorate the June 2024 Gen Z uprising, appear to have generated anxiety and tension within the government, as fears of widespread confrontations spread among opposition leaders, activists, business owners and religious organisations.

President William Ruto, who has ordered compensation for victims of police brutality, has on the one hand assured protesters that his administration will protect their democratic freedoms, but on the other has warned that the country must remain committed to law and order.

 “It is right for every citizen who has an issue to petition or to protest and we must protect their right to do so. The one thing that is not going to happen is that people will be mobilised to destroy property or to cause chaos or mayhem. That will not happen,” he said on Friday.

His Deputy, Kithure Kindiki, and Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen have also warned protesters that they risk being met with force if they loot businesses or attack other Kenyans.

"This is not supposed to be a threat or a joke. On Thursday, there will be no monkey business. No one will threaten and stop us from protecting property, businesses and lives," Kindiki said during a church service and fundraiser in Ziwa, Uasin Gishu County, on Sunday.

He alleged that the protests were being organised by opposition figures intent on causing mayhem.

According to Kindiki, the planned demonstrations are not genuine June 25, 2024, commemorations but are aimed at advancing political interests.

"You will hold demonstrations, but the Constitution will not allow you to breach the peace and destroy property. I assure the country that businesses will be protected," he said.

Murkomen claimed the government had intelligence indicating that "political scavengers" were keen to gain political mileage from Thursday’s protests.

He also warned that protesters who defy police directives would be dealt with in accordance with the law, even as he identified roads that would be out of bounds.

"State House Road and Uhuru Highway will be no-go zones for protesters due to the security considerations attached to them. State House is a protected security installation, while Uhuru Highway is a major international highway, and it is unlawful to block traffic there through protests," Murkomen said during a television interview on Monday evening.

While senior government officials continue to send mixed signals on how protesters will be handled, agencies such as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the panel of experts on compensation for victims of human rights violations have been working overtime to engage affected families and assure them that they will be compensated.

Notably, tomorrow’s protests are expected to be led largely by families who lost loved ones during the June 25, 2024, demonstrations, the Saba Saba commemorations and other protests held last year.

Questions have been raised over why IPOA took the lead in contacting the victims’ families while the compensation panel hurriedly released details of its compensation plan yesterday, just a day before the planned protests. Analysts point to growing tensions and last-minute efforts to persuade families to abandon the demonstrations.

The panel, chaired by Makau Mutua, announced that it had finalised plans to compensate 348 families with a total of Sh448 million. Of these, 115 are families of those who died and will each receive Sh3 million, while 137 victims who sustained moderate injuries will receive Sh500,000 each.

“To the victims, the long wait is over; we begin to make right what was wrong. We are committed to ensuring every verified victim is compensated, promptly, fairly, and with the dignity they deserve,” Mutua said.

However, the refusal by state agencies and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) to publish the names of beneficiaries has cast doubt on the credibility of the exercise.

Critics point to Kenya’s troubled history with compensation programmes, including schemes for internally displaced persons (IDPs), which were marred by corruption, fake claimants, political patronage and large-scale embezzlement.

Tension has also gripped business owners, many of whom fear that their investments could be vandalised. In several areas, business groups met yesterday, while others are expected to meet today to discuss how to respond in the event of destruction during tomorrow’s protests.

In Kitengela, which has become a hotspot for demonstrations, members of the business community and boda boda operators met to discuss how to counter criminal elements and prevent looting and vandalism.

The planned protests have also divided the opposition, with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua urging young people to stay away, while other groups, including Linda Mwananchi, have announced that they will join the demonstrations.

"During the last two demos, lives were lost, and businesses were destroyed. To those whose lives have been lost over the last four years, this is not what 55 million Kenyans envisioned," he said.

He alleged that the government, through Murkomen, had coordinated a plot to finance and deploy goons in the Mt Kenya region.

"Two hundred million shillings was withdrawn today in Upper Hill from the Interior account, meant to finance goons for Thursday," he claimed.

He appealed to business owners, motorists and workers in Nairobi, the wider Central region, Kajiado and Narok counties to keep their establishments closed, stay off the roads and keep their children at home.

On the other hand, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna announced that his group had postponed Linda Mwananchi's rallies scheduled for Friday in Kisii and Keroka, saying the opposition movement would instead join Kenyans across the country in commemorating victims of the 2024 Gen Z protests.

“We will join other Kenyans of goodwill to stand in solidarity with the victims of the Gen Z protests of 2024 and their families and in remembrance of those who were killed or have forcibly disappeared,” he stated.

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) and the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) have also spoken out ahead of tomorrow’s protests.

“As Kenyans prepare to commemorate the second anniversary of June 25, IRCK urges all demonstrators, organisers, and security agencies alike to uphold the values of peace, dignity, and restraint. Article 37 of Kenya’s Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to assemble and demonstrate peacefully. This right is sacred, and it must be exercised and protected in equal measure,” IRCK said in a statement.

The KCCB stated: “This promise of abundant life is at the heart of the Gospel and the foundation of our concern for the people of Kenya. This respect for the dignity of Life must have as its foundation the listening to all the voices of all Kenyans, young and old. All must listen: The Government, Judiciary, Parliament, Counties, Parents, Corporations, and Religious leaders. The Lives of all Kenyans matter, not only the lives of the high and mighty!”