Muslim clerics accuse police of not taking action against goons

Council of Imams and preachers of Kenya organising secretary, Mohamed Khalifa [right] and his National treasurer, Sheikh Hassan Omar during press conference in Mombasa. [Omondi Onyango,Standard]

Muslim clerics' umbrella body on Thursday criticised the conduct of police officers during the anti-Finance Bill protests, saying it pushed the country to the precipice of anarchy.

The Council of Imams and Preachers Kenya (CIPK) said the use of police to suppress divergent views during peaceful protests could ignite chaos akin to what happened in Libya, Sudan, and other countries.

CIPK Organising Secretary Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa applauded Gen Z for carrying out peaceful protests that led to the scrapping of the oppressive tax bill.

Sheikh Khalifa said it was clear that goons had infiltrated the protests and asked the youth to shelve the plan of going to the streets to avoid deaths and injuries. He said President William Ruto had heard them.

"What is happening now is no longer peace protests but bandits looting and burning the property of innocent Kenyans," he said.

The cleric said scenes of police watching as Kenyans were being terrorised by goons were shocking, describing it as the darkest moment for the National Police Service.

"Police have failed to protect citizens and that is why we saw traders guard their property," he said.