African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki, on Tuesday, March 28, expressed his concern at the violence that ensued after Azimio's public protests in various counties.
In a statement sent by the Addis Ababa-based organisation, the Chairperson decried the loss of life, damage to property and the interruption of economic activities in Nairobi.
He called for calm and urged all stakeholders to engage in dialogue to address differences between political players in the supreme interest of national unity and reconciliation.
With regard to the reservations raised against the conduct of the August 2022 General Election, Faki reiterated that the exercise was a success and was later confirmed by the Supreme Court after the petition by Azimio.
“In this regard, the Chairperson wishes to recall the successful conduct of General Election in August 2022 in Kenya and the subsequent unanimous confirmation of the election outcome by the Supreme Court.”
“The Chairperson reiterates the total solidarity with and support to the Government and the People of Kenya's efforts working towards national unity, peace and stability in the country," the statement read in part.
The statement came at a time when the Azimio la Umoja Coalition had vowed to continue with the protests despite the hurdles placed by the government in its attempts to contain the situation.
Both sides of the political divide also proclaimed a firm stance ruling out the possibility of a "handshake" between leaders despite calls from a section of the clergy.
Since the onset of the anti-government protests, one person was confirmed dead according to the information provided by the National Police Service. Scores of police officers deployed to manage the protests were also injured in the ensuing skirmishes pitting them against the protestors.
In addition, businesses in different parts of the country were paralysed as most owners chose to remain closed in fear of the unknown direction the protests would take.
In one incident, tens of protestors invaded a retail chain in the Embakasi area of Nairobi before making away with products stocked on the shelves. The owner stated that the incident plunged him into a loss of over Ksh15 million.
On Monday, March 27, the protests took a different turn after unidentified people invaded Northlands Farm in Ruiru and East Africa Spectre Ltd in two separate attacks.
The Former Prime Minister on Tuesday, March 28 castigated the international community for remaining silent on the situation in Kenya.
