Shoot to maim order can only lead to death

Police Officers engage protestors in Kisii town on 25/6/2025 during the 1st anniversary of Gen Z killings. (Sammy Omingo, Standard) There's a certain group I am a member of that in the recent past, had the misfortune of having at least five of us break a limb from various accidents. One, an avid biker, was involved in an accident on the highway; two in a freak accident at home; one while playing tennis and the last one, a car accident. For a small group, the numbers are statistically significant. Yet, we expect these numbers to go up in coming months as we come to terms with a recent decree from the high office. Not that we have a single hoodlum in the group but the presidential directive that protesters should have their legs shot off means the number of invalids among our group (God forbid) might rise significantly. Our police are not very good, it seems, at differentiating genuine protesters from thugs. In fact, from what I have seen, majority of youth who have died in recent protests are peace loving Kenyans enjoying their constitutional right yet they have received the brunt of the police brutality. The actual hoodlums are safe from police bullets because they are usually on the same side, as we have witnessed during protests when police vehicles escort these people as they beat up genuine protesters. Following the recent shoot-to-maim directive, I suspect one savvy investor is rubbing his hands with glee, seeing a business opportunity from this uncalled for presidential directive. This particular businessman is already on a plane to China to procure a few containers of clutches and wheel chairs since demand will sky rocket. Demand will outstrip supply and our streets will be teeming with people hobbling on one good leg as they await deliveries of clutches from China (for those who can afford) and for those who can't, they will make do with wooden walking aids fashioned by the cottage industries that will inevitably fill the gap. And because the policemen might, in their excitement, shoot both limbs, we see a situation where the businessman will resort to the tried and tested "buy-one-get-one free" (BOGOF) marketing strategy. I also expect quite a number of deaths here and there since our policemen, while trying to shoot the legs, might fetch the head instead, either deliberately or out of incompetence. On a serious note though, the amount of destruction we saw during recent rallies need not happen again. It is clear that there is not a single Gen Z involved in these acts of looting and vandalism. If truth be told, the government knows these hoodlums, who funds them and where they take the loot. Someone needs to be arrested, and not just some protester, but a big fish. We can't have a country where genuine protectors are shot while real culprits walk free. We all saw the harrowing story of the girl killed in the house by a stray bullet. We saw the desperate people from all over the country crying over their burned down businesses. This must come to an end. I reiterate that for now, the protest organisers must go back to the drawing board and rethink the street protests. The outcome of these protests is guaranteed to cause more death and destruction; they must therefore re-strategise and look at any change of government through the ballot. Two years is a short time and will fly by in a flash. Any work towards changing the leadership through the ballot must therefore start today. I bet the queues for paraplegics in the 2027 elections will go around several blocks since they might be the majority if the police take the presidential order seriously. -The writer is a communications consultant

Shoot to maim order can only lead to death

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