Just hours after JolibaLive News! asked if Kenya’s President Williams Ruto would now call in the military, Mr. Ruto came on air in a nationwide speech to his country to denounce the protests.
The parliamentary building in Nairobi was breached earlier in the day, with a section on fire. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Kenyan protesters broke through police cordon and a hail of tear gas and water cannons to reach the building, as parliamentarians took to their heels.
The protesters demanded “Ruto Must Go” and that all lawmakers resign and “go home.”
Press Briefing, State House, Nairobi. pic.twitter.com/XaCbLshV2K
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) June 25, 2024
But Mr. Ruto has now called in the military, according to the Kenyan defense minister, for a “security emergency” operation. Ruto told the nation in his evening broadcast that the unrest would have to be halted “at whatever cost.” He called the storming of the parliament house “treasonous.”
He vowed, “Today’s events mark a critical turning point on how we respond to threats to our national security.”
It was the most direct assault on the government of Kenya in decades.
At least ten persons reportedly died from the clashes when police opened live fire on the protesters as they tore through the security barrier.
The police action has drawn international condemnation from human rights activists.
The Day After Today?
It is to be seen how the protesters react tomorrow as nighttime has now fallen in East Africa. Many of them online chattering bitterly that their president called them “criminals” and called in the military.
One protester tweeting,
“Parliament done. City Hall done. Next up: Statehouse. We want to talk to William Ruto personally.”
Kenyan Protester
Suppose protest organizers defy the president and regroup tomorrow, with the military now taking over the streets of Nairobi. In that case, we could be bracing for more human rights violations. Or more.
Mr. Ruto should have indicated if he was dropping the Finance Bill, the original bone of contention. However, in fairness to him, he had scaled back the bill, exempting many of the items the protesters complained about. But young Kenyans want it dropped altogether.
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