Former Chief Justice David Maraga has dared President William Ruto to speak up on the recent incidents of police brutality in the country, warning that silence was jeopardising Kenya’s democratic future.
Maraga, who has emerged as one of President Ruto’s fiercest critics in recent weeks, spoke after an interdenominational church service to commemorate those who passed away during last year's skirmishes at the All Saints Cathedral on Sunday, June 22, where he challenged the president to go out of his way to protect citizens’ rights.
The former CJ particularly referenced the protests witnessed over the past week, which saw goons disrupt and attack protesters in harrowing scenes.
According to Maraga, the prolonged silence by the president raised the risk of the country plunging into a similar situation to that witnessed in Haiti, where gangs have dominated major cities, including the capital, Port-au-Prince.
“The ultimate security and welfare rest in your hands. Please don’t send us to the state that Haiti is,” Maraga told Ruto. “When you allow goons to come and disperse peaceful demonstrators on the streets, you are sending us to Haiti."
The former CJ added, “You have the ability to stop. If you wanted to stop it, you would stop it even today.”
In the wake of last week’s protests, Kenyans were waiting to learn of the president’s take on the matter, particularly after one protester was shot and seriously wounded by police officers in an incident that was caught on camera.
While Ruto is yet to directly address the protests, he recently appeared defiant against his critics as he alluded to the notion that his regime was often marred by strings of what he termed as ‘distractions.’
“I cannot be distracted; I am a man on a mission to transform this country … no amount of noise and propaganda will sway me from delivering on this agenda,” Ruto said during the Kenya Urban Forum in Naivasha.
Besides Maraga, the new-look opposition outfit has also been on Ruto’s case regarding the current state of affairs in the country. In a strongly worded statement last week, the opposition condemned what it termed as the “brazen shooting of unarmed citizens.”
The National Police Service was also accused of ‘systematically violating the Constitution of Kenya and international human rights laws.’
Meanwhile, Kenyans are planning another wave of peaceful protests on June 25, to commemorate a year since the anti-Finance bill protests took place.
Ahead of the protests, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja distanced himself from goons who attacked protesters the previous week as he vowed to ensure security for the peaceful protesters.
