Murkomen to Gen Zs: You are coup plotters
According to the CS, the demonstrations witnessed in Nairobi were coordinated and funded with a view to achieving a regime change in the country.
The government says yesterday’s protests to mark the first anniversary of last year’s Gen Z revolt during which over 60 youths were killed by the police was an attempted coup.
Sixteen people were killed in the protests, all of them from gunshot wounds, and at least 400 injured, including police officers.
Addressing the press at Harambee House, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen claims the protest was coordinated and funded with a view to achieving a regime change in the country.
“That was not a protest, it was an unconstitutional attempt to change the regime of this republic, and yesterday the police tried to foil an attempted coup,” Murkomen charged.
He also condemned the looting and destruction of property witnessed when criminals took advantage of the demonstrations to take off with goods worth millions of shillings from business outlets along Moi Avenue, Mfangano Street, Mfangano Lane, Khoja and Bus Station, among others in Nairobi as well as in other cities and towns such as Embu, Nyeri, Kisii and Nakuru.
“There was no peaceful demonstration. It was riots, chaos and anarchy, and therefore we condemn the criminal anarchists in the name of peaceful demonstrations, who unleashed a wave of violence, looting, sexual assault and destruction upon our people,” Murkomen said.
“The massive looting had a clear motive to cause fear and target properties of politicians and civilians allied to the government,” he said citing National Assembly Leader of Majority Kimani Ichung’wah, Molo MP Kimani Kuria, Mathira MP Eric Njoroge Wainaina, Mbeere South MP Martin Muriuki and Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri as some of the elected leaders whose homes and businesses were targeted.
Ahead of the protests, police barricaded roads leading to State House and Parliament with razor wire.
According to the CS, the push for police officers not to crash the protests was not genuine, adding it was aimed at scaring the government so as to allow for a free passage for the alleged coup plotters to succeed.
He said the guns police carry are not toys and they have a right to use them when needed.
Murkomen said police are investigating those who allegedly financed the protests with a view to taking action against them.
He said some of those who took part in protests in the city were transported from as far as Nyeri and Murang’a.
Murkomen noted that key government installations and offices were targeted with at least nine police stations being attacked, five of which were torched including Dagorreti, Molo and Ol Kalau while 88 police vehicles were destroyed.
His remarks came as a section of pro-government MPs called for the arrest of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, claiming he was the one behind the protests.
Addressing a press conference at Parliament building, Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa alleged Gachagua incited the youth to take to the streets while Migori Woman Representative Fatuma Zainab claimed the protests were a thinly veiled attempt to overthrow the government, saying such acts border on subversion.
Rongo MP Mark Nyamita accused the political class of infiltrating what was meant to be a youth-led movement.
“Will we have another anniversary next year now that more people have died?” he posed.
The latest claims are a kin to the stance initially taken by President William Ruto after last year’s Gen Z revolt when he claimed, without evidence, that the youths were funded by the Ford Foundation to overthrow his government after the protesters breached tight security and entered Parliament forcing MPs to scamper for safety through a tunnel with some later leaving the precincts of Parliament in ambulances.
“I want to call out those who are behind the anarchy in Kenya, those who are behind sponsoring chaos in the Republic of Kenya. Shame on them, because they are sponsoring violence against our democratic nation. I want to ask the Ford Foundation if that money they are giving out to fund violence, how is it going to benefit them?”
The demonstrations resulted from proposals in the Finance Bill 2024, which would have raised taxes on basic commodities such as sanitary towels and introduced new ones.
Critics argued this would have resulted in a further spike in the cost of living.
President Ruto later conceded and declined to assent to the Bill, dismissed the Cabinet and announced radical austerity measures.
A few months later, the President met with Ford Foundation’s President Darren Walker in New York during which he said Kenya appreciates its commitment to safeguarding the country’s democracy and supporting her calls for reforms in global economic institutions, climate action, and modern technology regulation.
