Interior CS Kindiki; We will not interfere with Raila's meetings

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki flanked by senior officials at Harambee House, Nairobi on Tuesday, December 6. [Denish Ochieng, the Standard]

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has guaranteed Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga and his supporters of security during their anti-government meetings on Wednesday, December 7 and on Monday, December 12.

Addressing the media from Harambee House in Nairobi on Tuesday, Kindiki said the Ministry was not interested in disrupting the meetings as that would infringe Article 37 of the Constitution which provides that every person has a right to demonstrate and to present petitions to public authorities.

Kindiki has since asked Odinga to provide schedules for the planned meetings so that security can be deployed to the areas.

"The Ministry of Interior is making all the necessary security arrangements to ensure that our fellow Kenyans can exercise their right to associate, demonstrate, protest or make their grievances known," said Kindiki.

"We will, however, require to be given the full schedule of where those activities are and the nature of those activities and the frequency of those activities so that we can organise ourselves because we have finite human resources to deploy," he added.

Further, Kindiki promised that the Ministry would remain impartial and would not politicise the meetings held by the opposition.

"We are not interested in the agenda that those protesting are engaged in so long as it is lawful. Therefore, we will not politicise the matter, we will remain professional to make sure those who want to air their grievances are given the space so that those who do not agree with them do not disrupt," said Kindiki.

Kindiki's sentiments came just a day after President William Ruto instructed him to deploy enough security as the opposition carries out nationwide demonstrations.

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"I have told Prof Kindiki to ask the opposition for their demonstration schedule so that we can give them enough security to protect them and to avoid property destruction," said Ruto.

Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga has since clarified that the meetings are nationwide public consultative forums and not demonstrations as has been interpreted by some Kenyans.

He said the opposition will use the forums to share views on the state of affairs in the country.