There could be fresh chaos on Tuesday, May 2 after police in Nairobi termed as illegal and banned a planned protest by the Azimio coalition.
This is because the police move is likely to lead to confrontations and chaos in the areas as the Azimio team insisted they are within the law to stage the protests.
As required in law, Azimio had notified the police of their intentions to picket and named the streets they will march on May 2.
Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei however addressed the media on April 30 in his office to announce the move to ban the protests.
He said past protests by the team had been violent and chaotic and therefore in as much as they are constitutionally allowed to protest, the Tuesday one will not be allowed.
“The Azimio demonstrations were nothing sort of peaceful as such by this letter we are declining to allow the Azimio team the go-ahead to proceed with the demonstrations and any such demonstration will be dispensed by law enforcement officers,” said Bungei.
He made the remarks after meeting top police officers in the city.
Tens of other officers have been mobilized from other regions as has been in the past in readiness for the confrontation.
Bungei said previous demonstrations in the month of March 2023 conducted by the Azimio team were marred with violence as the demonstrators were armed with machetes, attacked innocent members of the public who were going by their business resulting in the destruction of property, attacks on members of the general public who were not demonstrating, stealing, looting and death of several Kenyans.
But Azimio reckoned the acts were conducted by criminals sent by state agents and that police had failed to provide security as required in law.
The Azimio team said their past meetings had been peaceful and were only disrupted by police.
On his part, Bungei argued the right to assemble is not absolute even as it is captured in the 2010 Constitution.
“It is however noteworthy that the right to assemble is not absolute under the Constitution. The Public Order Act, Section 5a seeks to regulate public meetings and processions by providing for the need to notify the police service.”
“There is also the power of the police service to stop or prevent a public meeting where appropriate and where it is obvious it will not meet the constitutional objectives,” he said.
The police move was highly anticipated given the past remarks by President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua.
Ruto has three times in the last two days vowed to use all powers at his disposal to ensure that the planned Azimio protests do not deteriorate into chaos and violence.
Ruto’s sentiments follow Azimio la Umoja Coalition’s move to resume protests over what the party’s hierarchy has termed as Kenya Kwanza’s failure to commit to holding constructive bipartisan talks.
Ruto has thrice said he reached out to Azimio leader Raila Odinga in a bid to find an amicable solution to end the ongoing rift between the opposition and his government.