Defiant president orders crackdown on 'dangerous people'

Torched police truck outside Parliament on June 25, 2024. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

President William Ruto has ordered a crackdown on anti-Finance Bill protesters, terming the protests "treasonous".

Addressing a press briefing at State House, Nairobi last evening, the president said "dangerous people" were behind the demonstrations that saw Parliament breached by protesters.

He said he would unleash security agencies on "planners and financiers" of the demos, who he accused of planning to destabilise the nation, saying they would not go "scot-free".

"It is unfortunate that this (Finance Bill) conversation has been hijacked by dangerous people who have caused us the kind of loss witnessed today," said Ruto, pointing out the storming of Parliament as "a desecration of Kenya's emblems and institutions".

His remarks came an hour after Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said he had deployed the Kenya Defence Forces to help the National Police Service counter anti-tax protesters, calling the nationwide protests a "security emergency".

Ruto said the protests were an affront to constitutionalism and the rule of law calling the protesters criminals.

"The government will therefore uphold its constitutional mandate to secure our nation and its development and shall treat every threat to national security and the integrity of our state as an existential danger to our republic. Accordingly, I assure Kenyans that we shall provide a full, effective and expeditious response to today's treasonous actions," said the president, who added he was willing to dialogue with the youth over their issues, promising to include them in the development of its policies.

He congratulated the police for their conduct during the protests, saying they acted "to the best of their ability". He ignored concerns about brutality meted on initially peaceful protesters, which degenerated into indiscriminate shooting of demonstrators outside Parliament.

Similarly, he avoided the subject of abductions of pro-demonstration Kenyans, which has earned criticism from rights groups.

For a better part of last evening, there were fears of State reprisal, amid reports that KDF officers had been dispatched to the Nairobi Central Business District.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta, who said he was coming to Kenyans "with a heavy heart", urged calm and restraint from Kenya's leadership and called on his predecessor to listen to Kenyans.

"Listening to the people is not a choice but a mandate enshrined in the principles of our constitution and in the very basis and philosophy of democracy. Leaders must know that power and authority they have is donated to them by the people," said Uhuru, urging understanding among Kenyans.

There were concerns of media and internet shutdowns. Many Kenyans reported low internet speeds, with network providers saying the situation was caused by damage to two underwater fibre optic cables.