MP Aseka, Senator Khalwale clash over shoot order

Khwisero MP Christopher Aseka Wangaya during the launch of the Amani National Congress (ANC) collection of Bridging Bridges Initiative (BBI) signatures in Nairobi on Monday, November 30, 2020. [File, Standard]

Khwisero MP Christopher Aseka has thrown his weight behind President William Ruto's directive to the police to shoot and immobilise individuals found vandalising properties during demos.

Speaking in Khwisero on Friday, Aseka said the President's directive would restore order in the country in the face of growing lawlessness during demonstrations.

"The President is not saying shoot to kill. He is simply saying, if you are caught burning a police station or destroying public infrastructure, you will be immobilised.

"This country cannot be held hostage by a few rogue individuals hiding behind Gen-Z protests," said Aseka, who alleged that some people were out to overthrow the government.

"What I know is that whatever happened in Nairobi was not protests. If it's a protest, why were they going to the State House?" said Aseka.

His comments come amid a heated national debate following widespread anti-government protests led largely by Kenya's youth, dubbed the Gen-Z movement.

While largely peaceful, some demonstrations have been marred by isolated incidents of violence, vandalism, and confrontations with police.

However, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has sharply disagreed with the President's stance, saying the use of firearms against unarmed civilians, regardless of the circumstances, undermines Kenya's constitutional guarantees of the right to protest.

"As leaders, we must draw a line. We cannot sanction police brutality under the guise of enforcing law and order," Khalwale said in a separate event.

"Our young people are exercising their democratic rights. Shooting them, even in the legs, is not only unlawful, it is immoral."

Khalwale urged the government to engage the protesting youth constructively and avoid creating a climate of fear and intimidation.

He warned that excessive use of force could escalate tensions and push the country into deeper unrest.

"Dialogue, not force, is the way forward. The youth are speaking. Instead of bullets, let's listen. In our Luhya culture, we don't kill even if someone steals a cow; we don't kill. If a child is satisfied, he or she doesn't steal," he added.