KENYA: A meeting that sought to popularise Bomet County Governor Isaac Ruto’s Mashinani Development Party of Kenya (MDP) failed to kick off Saturday after police cordoned off the venue.
Security officers said the meeting that was scheduled to take place in Sogoo, Narok South and attended by Ruto and MPs Johana Ng'eno and Alfred Keter lacked a necessary permit.
Narok South OCPD Philip Kipkirui who led over 50 officers clad in anti-riot gear said the organisers sought a permit but it was denied due to security reasons.
“This meeting is illegal because it lacks a permit. There is need for all leaders and the citizens to give time to the peace initiatives that have been commenced by leaders in Olposimoru which is a few kilometers from here,” said Kipkirui.
At around 11 am, Ruto’s helicopter landed but the police were on hand to effect the order. However, only Ruto’s aides disembarked.
Reacting to the turn of events, the governor and Mr Ng'eno termed attempts by police to stop their meeting as illegal, unacceptable and retrogressive.
“We don’t expect the police to cancel meetings. We only notify them so that they provide security or tell us if the venue has been booked by another group,” said Ruto.
RETROGRESSIVE
Ruto said the Constitution allows all Kenyans to congregate and it outlawed the police from barring people from holding meetings.
“It seems we are headed to a police state. Whoever gave these officers orders is abusing his offices and we want to remind him that we shall not be intimidated,” said Ruto.
Ruto stated that his MDP party was formed to defend devolution.
“We are not joining Jubilee because they have failed to protect devolution. Kenyans expected more from this government but it has totally let them down,” he said.
But the OCPD insisted that after consultation, it was agreed that the meeting should not proceed because it could flare tribal emotions.
“Unfortunately the organisers of the meeting did not relay the message to the people that the permit had not been issued. This is why you see all this confusion,” he said.
He called on leaders and residents to respect the rule of law.
“We want to plead with our leaders not to incite their supporters,” said Kipkirui.
However, one of the organisers Sitonik Langat termed the OCPD’s reasons as untrue. “We had been issued with the permit and when we had planned everything the permit was cancelled,” he said. Langat said the organisers were some of the elders who had been brokering peace among the two communities living in Olposimoru. “It is laughable to be told that the meeting could have been used to incite. We want to maintain that this was a forum to popularise the MDP, a party that any Kenyan can join,” said Langat.
