Hello and welcome to the Evening Brief Newsletter where we are in on the military action, with bated breath. In our responder text, Babu Owino also calls for President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua to call for a Gen Z mega rally.
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Military Puzzle
On Thursday mid-day, a fleet of military trucks made a beeline, and suffered challenges (more on this later), towards Nairobi's Central Business District.
Quick Facts: In the morning, KDF deployed armoured vehicles in specific parts of Nairobi, particularly roads leading to State House.
- Another fleet was spotted along Lang'ata Road, believed to have been deployed from the Lang'ata Barracks, and was dispatched to Nyayo Stadium. It contained three trucks, four land cruisers, three Humvees, and one light utility vehicle.
- KDF soldiers were also pictured around the Parliament Building, which was broken into on Tuesday.
The Rules: As the public awaited a ruling on a case by the Law Society of Kenya challenging KDF deployment, my colleague Washington Mito delved into the KDF Act to establish the rules its officers must follow once deployed in the streets within borders. Primarily, the KDF is only mandated to protect the country's borders and leave internal security to the National Police Service.
- Whenever KDF officers are deployed to assist the police in maintaining peace, they are referred to as military police officers. During the deployment, the military personnel are barred from conducting investigations of a crime.
- While on the streets, military police officers are allowed to arrest an individual or confiscate an item. However, they have to surrender the arrested individual immediately to the police.
- However, the officers must observe the freedoms and human rights of Kenyans as enshrined in the 2010 Constitution.
- Military officers enjoy heightened powers on the streets since a police officer cannot assume command over them and vice versa.
- What The Act Says: "A member of the Defence Forces shall in respect of acts done or omitted to be done by him or her by virtue of this section be liable to the same extent as a member would have been liable in like circumstances if that member was a member of the National Police Service," reads the act in part.
- "A member of the Defence Forces shall in respect of acts done or omitted to be done by him or her by virtue of this section have the benefit of all the indemnities to which a member of that National Police Service would in like circumstances be entitled to,â added the ACT
Slight Military Challenges
During the deployment, however, the caravan suffered slight mechanical challenges with their tracks which were repaired within minutes.
The group momentarily stopped their patrol of the nationâs capital after one of their military trucks broke down along Enterprise Road.
The military was patrolling the capital in a single file when the incident happened and as per the tradition, once a truck broke down, the convoy would come to a halt until the vehicle was repaired.
The truck was repaired in under 5 minutes under the protection of the other trucks and their occupants.
Reports indicated that another armoured personnel carrier (APC) had earlier broken down resulting in another momentary pause of the procession.
Ruto Gang Humbled
After months of brushing off concerns regarding the punitive nature of the Finance Bill 2024, lawmakers who approved the bill are now asking for forgiveness from the public.
Why It Matters: The lawmakers, a majority of whom enjoy a close relationship with President William Ruto, risk watching their political portfolios wiped out in the upcoming election cycle.
DP Gachagua Remorseful: Shortly after Ruto announced that he was shelving the bill in its entirety, his deputy Gachagua pleaded with the public, especially the enraged Gen Z, not to punish the lawmakers. 195 of the MPs approved the bill in its second reading.
What Gachagua Said: "I want to ask Kenyans not to punish MPs for the stand that they took. A government is formed by a political party. Once a government has a programme in Parliament and decides it is good for the people, members of Parliament from that party must toe the line. I do not want you to punish members of Parliament, they just did what is right in terms of our political formation. Allow them to support their government because that is why they were elected as members of the government party."
MP on His Knees: Today, Central Turkana MP Joseph Namuar expressed regret for voting in favour of the contentious Finance Bill 2024.
âIf by any means we made a mistake, we the MPs who voted YES to the Finance Bill ask for forgiveness. And just the way the president called for a dialogue, we as the presidentâs soldiers, ask for forgiveness on your behalf,â he stated.
Yes, But: Protesters have remained adamant that they have no faith in the leadership and called for the dissolution of Parliament.
Their concerns were barked by Nyaribari Masaba MP Daniel Manduku who wants fresh elections to be conducted in the next 90 days after calling his colleagues incompetent.
"I want to ask the president to immediately dissolve the National Assembly and call for elections within 90 days. The constitution of Kenya denotes that the sovereign power belongs to the people. As elected members, we only exercise it on their behalf." he lamented.
View From Opposition: I reached out to Embakasi East MP Babu Owino (who voted no to the bill) on whether the public should or could forgive the lawmakers, some of whom saw their homes, offices, and businesses looted. Below is our Responder Text.
Chat With MP Babu Owino
Babu Owino, who is the MP for Embakasi East and allied to ODM, voted no to the Finance Bill.
Derrick Okubasu: Some Kenya Kwanza MPs have been asking for forgiveness. Do you think the public should and will forgive them?
Babu Owino: President Ruto and Rigathi Gachagua should call for a rally at Nyayo Stadium for Gen Zs and he should come on foot, stand at the center of the field, and ask for forgiveness from there.
Derrick Okubasu: There were concerns that Ruto was being poorly advised. Do you think the MPs mis-advised him on the Finance Bill?
Babu Owino: It is Ruto who advises his advisers on how to advise him. He can never be misadvised. He does not take any advice.
Here are five other stories we are keeping tabs on for you;
- Public Service CS Moses Kuria has escalated his fallout with DP Gachagua questioning his swipe at Nordin Haji's NIS.
- President William Ruto awards Asenath Rotich, the widow of the late Kelvin Kiptum, a medal.
- The Global Peace Foundation praises William Ruto for the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, and issues own statement after canceling the president's event.
- The BodaBoda Safety Association of Kenya (BAK) calls for an end to demonstrations that have erupted in various parts of the country.
- Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku withdraws a highly contentious Assembly and Demonstration Bill aimed at tightening regulations on public demonstrations across Kenya.
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This newsletter was written by Derrick Kubasu and edited by Brian Muuo.
Washington Mito contributed to the content.
Graphics prepared by Adongo Kyalo.
