ODM: President Uhuru Kenyatta should apologise for Langata Road Primary School incident

KISUMU: The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party is now demanding that President Uhuru Kenyatta apologises over the Monday incident that saw police lob teargas canisters at a group of pupils of Langata Road Primary and activists.

The pupils, who were injured and chocked in the ugly drama, together with activists were protesting the grabbing of the school's playground.

ODM Secretary General Ababu Namwamba said it was unfortunate that the government was using excessive police force against little unarmed children.

Namwamba said the last time Africa witnessed such beastly brutality was the November 1976 Sharpeville massacre in Soweto by the horrible apartheid regime in South Africa.

''We cannot allow known land grabbers to steal the destiny of our children captured in our new constitutional order. It is shameful," said Namwamba.

ODM secretary for political affairs Opiyo Wandayi said the incident was taking Africa back to the colonial days.

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Wandayi said the incident is reminiscent of the situations in South Africa back in the days and in the former Eastern Europe.

"It is an indication of how low the Jubilee administration has sunk," said Wandayi who demanded that the president apologises personally to Kenyans.

Member of the National Assembly for Kisumu East Shakeel Shabbir described the incident as sad day for Kenya that illustrated how the government does not care about the common man.

Shabbir alleged that many influential people in government are involved in land grabbing and this can only ruin the image of the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta.

"President Kenyatta must apologise on behalf of the government to save his face," said Shabbir, adding that CORD would follow up the matter.

Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo said the act by police is despicable and outrageous.

He added that a government that sends baton-wielding goons in police uniform to lob tear gas at defenceless innocent children loses legitimacy and must be hounded out of office.

"Those behind grabbing of children's playground anywhere are heartless and primitive petty thieves who do not qualify to hold any public office anywhere in Kenya," said Gumbo.