The Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwah has castrated Azimio over claims of police brutality during the protests. In a press release to the media, Ichungwa detailed: “My attention has been drawn to a statement by my Minority counterpart in the national Assembly Hon. Opiyo Wandayi.
In the statement, Ichungwa note that Wandayi alleges genocide in Luo Nyanza following the destructive protests called by the Azimio leadership.
Ichungwa says the country has been treated to anarchy, destruction of property, looting and total insecurity as a result of the demonstrations called by Azimio leadership.
While Azimio clings on Article 37 of the Constitution on the right to demonstrate and
picket, Ichungwa notes that Azimio conveniently leaves out a critical part of the provision that expressly states, everyone has a right to peaceably and unarmed, demonstrate and picket.
What has been transpiring in the country is not what the Constitution contemplated in article 37, far from it.
He says Azimio demonstrations have been punctuated with every aspect of lawlessness, thuggery, robbery and anarchy to shut down the government.
Therefore, the statement by the Leader of Minority that stinks of ethnic overtones is unfortunate coming from anyone who purports to lead anyone or indeed anything.
Nyanza region leadership right from the its top leadership of Mr Odinga and his sidekicks must desist from profiling the luo community that is otherwise a great community that has contributed immensely to the growth of our nation.
The senior government officials who serve in government DO Not serve the nation as Luos but as Kenyans serving fellow Kenyans.
We in Kenya Kwanza detest the profiling of any government or public official on the basis of their ethnicity. We condemn the characterization of public officers and or communities.
Ichungwa says Kisumu, Migori or indeed Homabay is home to many ethnic communities and nobody least of all one claiming to be a leader should characterize anyone in these counties in an ethnic grouping in a belated endeavor to invoke ethnic emotions.
Whereas we understand the desperation of Mr. Odinga and his sidekicks emanating from the loss of the only political currency he had, the card of violence as a tool for political blackmail and negotiating himself to power, we must caution them that the avenue of ethnic profiling they are resorting to now is rather late in the day.
The people of luo Nyanza and indeed many Kenyans have seen through their folly of using violence as a political currency.
The people of luo Nyanza are particularly crying for emancipation from this slavery of being used by Odinga and his hangers on as pawns to negotiate with. They are indeed breaking free and this is the desperation that one reads in that unfortunate statement as the political class try to resuscitate their dwindling political fortunes by evoking emotive ethnic feelings and creating a siege mentality over a whole community.
The best the leadership can do is to lead their people from the front in economic emancipation and not in destructive and retrogressive politics.
The least the people of Nyanza expect and must demand from this cabal of leaders is responsible leadership that will not enslave the masses in perpetual poverty as they appoint their kin to high public offices and use the masses to further negotiate for more positions for their other family members.
The people of luo Nyanza deserve better. They must get better. They must and they will not fall into the trap being ensnared for them by their leaders
The police have indeed acted with unparalleled restraint in the midst of immense provocation and great losses and injury to many officers who have been attacked with all manner of projectiles, machetes and firearms.
The public has also suffered as has been reported by the Ministry of Interior from unfortunate shooting incidents perpetrated by the cabal of anarchy plotters using hired gangs in a desperate attempt to create insurgency in the country.
Instances where police have used live ammunition are in line with the law and the Constitution when the lives of officers and those of other civilian population are under imminent threat as they execute their duties professionally.
