Nairobi — President William Ruto has said that although the Constitution allows anyone, including the Opposition to picket, it does not allow them to be chaotic.
The Heaf of State spoke a day after riot police dispersed Opposition protests called by Raila Odinga, in what degenerated into a full-blown violence in the capital Nairobi and Kisumu.
A police officer died in Kisumu while shops and other businesses were looted in the lakeside city and Nairobi.
"It is my position that the Constitution did not envisage that different opinions would result into chaos or loss of property or loss of lives. We must all be able to celebrate all the rights provided in our constitution in a manner that respects the rights of others," Ruto said Friday when he presided over the launch of the Public Service Commission's Values and Principles Compliance Report covering 2021-2022.
President Ruto faulted the protests by the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya leaders, saying the Constitution does not envisage divergent opinions expressed through the destruction of property and loss of lives.
He said he is concerned that Azimio protests scheduled every Monday and Thursday have disrupted learning activities in most parts of the country.
"We must respect other people's rights in a manner that doesn't destroy property or in a manner that doesn't make our children not go to school," said Ruto.
"I think we can do that, we are mature enough to do that. I think all of us will begin to understand where we should go," he added.
Odinga has warned of what he described as the "mother of all protests" on Monday next week.
"We are very reasonable people and we believe that we have got very valid reasons on why we need to have a conversation but in the absence of preparedness of the other side to cooperate, these demonstrations are going continue," Odinga said.
Odinga, who addressed a press conference from his Karen residence after Thursday's protests, insisted that despite the high-handedness of police officers to block Azimio supporters to stage protests in various parts of the country, they will not stop pushing for electoral reforms and lowering the high cost of living.
Odinga insists he won last year's election in which he accuses President William Ruto of stealing his vote.
"I am saying that the IEBC servers must be opened so that we can know the truth," he said, and demanded the reinstatement of four commissioners who disowned the final results of the election which they claimed were rigged to favour Ruto.
Odinga contested the results in the Supreme Court but the petition was dismissed for lack of evidence.
He has criticized the ongoing exercise to re-constitute the electoral commission saying "it is an exercise in futility unless all players are involved."
On Thursday, he criticized the violence meted on journalists by police officers during the protest in which several were injured after tear gas canisters were lobbed at their vehicle as they relayed live coverage.
"It is very unfortunate that the media is being targeted for attack. Several journalists have been injured today by the teargas canisters that have been thrown left right and center," Odinga stated.
The Opposition Leader alleged that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa plotted the attack on journalists during the demonstration.
Without providing evidence, he also claimed that a plot had been hatched to attack Royal Media Services, owners of Citizen TV and several radio stations.
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"We had information that they were planning to attack Uhuru's farm, residences, and the royal media premises. I heard from credible sources that Gachagua, Ichungwa, and Ndindi Nyoro were planning this," Odinga stated, "These people are not the people who are called the Deputy President and Majority Leader, these are people who belong to jail."
The Azimio Leader is pushing President William Ruto's administration to rescind its decision on removing the subsidies on key food commodities on claims that it's unsustainable, to lower the cost of living.
"That's why we are calling for the subsidies which were introduced to alleviate the suffering of our people because of the circumstances beyond the control of our country, must be restored irrespective of what IMF or the World Bank says," Odinga asserted.
Sporadic violence broke out in Kenya on Thursday, the third day of opposition demonstrations to protest at the government and the high cost of living.
