Wetang'ula calls for legal reforms to curb violent protests

National Assembly speaker Moses Wetangula. [Juliet Omelo, Standard]

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has called for a review of Kenya's laws governing protests, citing the recent wave of violence that has rocked the country.

Wetangula says that Article 37 of the Constitution has been grossly abused in recent times.

Accompanied by leaders allied to Kenya Kwanza on Friday during a Women's Economic Empowerment Programme in Nandi County, he condemned the destruction of property, loss of lives, and the injuries witnessed during the youth protests that began early 2024.

"The Constitution guarantees the right to assemble and protest, but it does not give anyone the license to riot, loot, burn property, rape, and maim. That is lawlessness, and no society should tolerate it," said Wetangula.

He urged the MPs to push for a legislative review of the laws around public demonstrations, citing the United Kingdom, where protest organisers can be held personally responsible for damages arising from demonstrations, suggesting that Kenya adopt a similar model.

"We need to borrow the United Kingdom model. When politicians and protest leaders urge our youth to burn, loot, and destroy, while their own children are safely studying abroad, they must be held accountable. Freedom must come with responsibility."

His comments come after months of tensions in the country.

What began as peaceful protests quickly turned violent, with properties worth millions vandalised, police stations torched, and at least 115 people killed during the protests since June 2024, according to a state-funded rights group, the Kenya National Human Rights Commission.

He also accused former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of fuelling division and exporting political toxicity to the United States. "The people he's addressing in America don't even understand Kenya's tribal politics. What he's doing is exporting Kenya's bad manners abroad. That man represents no one. He disrespects even the most ordinary of leaders. We must uphold peace, harmony, and mutual respect," he said.

National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah, who also accompanied Wetang'ula, cautioned that anyone found guilty of organising or sponsoring the violent protests, regardless of their political positions, would face the law.

"Whether you're an MP or not, if you planned or sponsored those riots, you will face justice. Even I, as Majority Leader, will not be spared. No one is above the law," he said.

Ichung'wah's remarks come after Naivasha MP Jane Kihara, who was on Thursday arrested for her alleged role in the protests. Through her lawyers, Kalonzo Musyoka and Ndegwa Njiru, Kihara dismissed the charges as politically motivated.

Ichung'wah also warned residents of the Rift Valley not to fall into the trap of tribal politics, urging them to remember the horrors of the 2007/2008 post-election violence. "We must never allow anyone to divide us again along ethnic lines. Let's learn from our past," he said.