The founder and CEO of the Kenya Pro-Ageing Organization (KPAO) and former Kenya Miss President contestant Lucy Mworia has called for calm following another day of mayhem seen in the Nairobi Central Business District following demonstrations calling for justice for slain teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang who died last week in the hands of Police officers.
Mworia, a firebrand politician, who contested for the Isiolo North MP seat at the 2022 general elections strongly condemned the ugly scenes witnessed in Nairobi, Tuesday 17, June calling on the justice systems and the City administration to step up and ensure that destruction and theft of people’s property is not included in what should be peaceful protests and pickets.
Ugly scenes were witnessed in the Nairobi CBD as rioters who assembled to agitate for justice over the killing of Ojwang as well as calls for better governance and sustainable taxation regime clashed with goons, who recked havoc in the CBD, stealing phones and other gadgets from innocent people, breaking and looting shops and vandalizing the Nairobi City County government infrastructure.
According to Mworia, reports that several City politicians were behind a plan to plan and orchestrate the mayhem in the city is uncalled for and the politicians should not only be named and shamed, but should as well be arrested and prosecuted for aiding the criminal acts of vandalism, theft and causing public disorder.
Mworia said that those who orchestrated theft, hooliganism and violence in the Nairobi CBD and their masters must be arrested and be brought to book for the offenses of stealing phones from innocent people and destroying property including private shops and county government infrastructure including the newly installed dustbins and walkways.
“People of Kenya are aggitating for good governance, justice and tranquility. Some others are busy sponsoring goons to cause mayhem in the CBD. Shame on them. When others are fighting to have a better life and good governance and especially at a time when the budget estimates have just been read and Kenyans are busy trying to understand the finance bill and that the budget has in it but other politicians are busy sponsoring youths to cause mayhem,” Mworia condemned.
At the same time, Mworia condemned the police brutality that was meted on protestors during the city demonstrations where unconfirmed reports indicate that there were fatalities during the chaos.
Mworia said that the tragic, cold-blooded shooting of an unarmed mask vendor by a police officer at close range during CBD protests is a shocking abuse of power and demands immediate accountability.
She noted that she was alarmed by the brazen infiltration of peaceful protests by armed militia group whose daylight acts of robbery and violence against pedestrians and bystanders, occurring under the apparent indifference of law enforcement represent a dangerous descent into lawlessness.
” The police have a fundamental duty to protect all citizens, including those peacefully exercising their constitutional right to protest. Their failure to act against these marauding groups terrorizing innocent people is a profound dereliction of that duty. We condemn these actions unequivocally. The officer responsible for the vendor’s killing must be identified, arrested, and formally charged without delay,” Mworia added.