Azimio la Umoja has designed their anti-government protests with a strategic approach to avoid clashing with anti-riot police officers who were accused of using extra force to derail demonstrators.
Speaking at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation (JOOF) in Nairobi on Wednesday, July 26, National Assembly Minority Leader, Opiyo Wandayi, stated that the opposition will focus on public defiance rather than taking to the streets.
He thus urged their followers to continue with the demonstrations to pressure President William Ruto to repeal the Finance Act 2023, which introduced tax hikes and also lower the cost of living.
"We realised that our people were suffering due to police brutality. So, this week, we decided that we are changing the approach to our protests.
"We wish to state that Azimio la Umoja neither called off nor suspended the protests. It is important to note the protests have since taken new forms to ensure that the State responds," Wandayi explained.
The opposition politician, who also serves as Ugunja MP, added that the media had misreported Azimio's next course of action by claiming that the protests were called off.
He explained that public defiance comes in many facets, including raising awareness about oppressive laws, not paying taxes, and sitting at home to avoid incurring unnecessary expenditures.
"I'm sure you know that there are people who are currently staying at home as a form of protest against the State. We have deliberately decided that the protests will be public defiance.
"Public defiance against the state is a form of political activism in which individuals or groups openly disobey laws or policies that they believe are unjust or harmful," the Azimio la Umoja leader stated.
However, Wandayi urged protesters to avoid confronting armed police officers who can draw weapons to defend themselves, leading to unwarranted deaths.
Police, he lamented, failed to apply restraint on innocent people who were only expressing their displeasure with the government.
"This type of activism is often nonviolent, but it can also involve civil disobedience, which is the deliberate breaking of a law in order to draw attention to a perceived injustice," Wandayi stated.
On Tuesday, June 27, opposition leader, Raila Odinga, asked his followers to boycott taxes in opposition to President William Ruto's regime. He also asked Kenyans to abandon their personal vehicles and opt for matatus as a means of transportation to avoid paying the fuel tax.
Meanwhile, Azimio la Umoja coalition conducted a vigil on Wednesday, July 26, to commemorate protesters killed during anti-government demonstrations.
The vigil was held at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation (JOOF) in Nairobi and was attended by hundreds of people, including Raila Odinga, and Wiper Party leader Stephen Kalonzo.
Azimio la Umoja leaders called for justice for the protesters who were killed and also called for an end to police brutality.
