Former Chief Justice (CJ) and United Green Movement (UGM) Party Leader David Maraga has condemned the use of unnecessary force by the police to disrupt opposition gatherings and rallies.
Maraga said the use of force to disrupt peaceful gatherings was unconstitutional and a sign that the government was in “panic mode” over the growing popularity of the opposition.
Speaking in Embu Town on Wednesday when unveiling his United Green Movement (UGM) Party candidate for Evurore Ward by-election in Embu North Constituency, Kennedy Njeru, Maraga said use of force to silence citizens was an outdated strategy.
“This is an outdated barbaric act, and we are telling the president to end impunity by the police and violations of Kenyans’ rights on peaceful assembly,” Maraga stated in reference to the recent disruption of Secretary General Edwin Sifuna’s led ODM rally in Kitengela and the church attack that took place two weeks ago in Othaya that was attended by former DP Rigathi Gachagua.
He said the gatherings were calm and there was no justification for the police to cause disorder, saying that was not the right way of managing political competition.
He said police highhandedness would not give the state any political mileage or advantage, saying the only viable route was to allow citizens to freely exercise their democratic right to assembly and expression.
At the same time, Maraga called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to change tact in the voter registration drive in a bid to net all eligible voters.
He faulted the electoral body for centralizing registration at constituency headquarters making it hard for eligible voters from far-flung areas to reach.
Maraga appealed to the IEBC to take the exercise where people are to save them from the anguish of incurring expenses to travel to registration centres.
“It is the duty of the government to take services closer to the people and not the people incurring expenses in search of required services,” he complained.
Meanwhile, Maraga said he was still in the presidential race and was in the process of popularizing his party and asking Kenyans to support his course.
By Samuel Waititu
