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The Nairobian

Parliament breach was never the plan, claims Boniface Mwangi

Politics

By Denis Omondi | Jun 28, 2024

**Activist Boniface Mwangi during an interview on Spice FM on June 28, 2024.** [Spice FM]

Activist Boniface Mwangi has absolved young, and peaceful, protesters of any accusations of runaway looting and arson during the recent anti-tax protests.

Mwangi said the leaderless movement had good intentions before its activities were hijacked by politicians who allegedly unleashed goons to control the emerging narrative which was putting the government’s popularity at stake.

The activist, who spoke on Spice FM on Friday, June 28, blamed the said goons for storming Parliament when the peaceful protesters only wanted to stage a sit-in outside the building as the MPs voted on the contentious Finance Bill 2024.

“There was no plan to enter Parliament. We were to occupy it from outside and make the MPs do the right thing. We begged the police to surround and protect the entire parliament,” he said.

“I was near Parliament and went all the way there. I realised there were goons all over, and there was police shooting,” he added.

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Sections of Parliament, City Hall, and the office of the Chief Justice were set ablaze during the Tuesday demos.

According to Mwangi, Police IG Japhet Koome led a broken police command that focused more on brutalising peaceful protesters and retreated for goons to ransack shops and destroy property.

“Peaceful protesters don’t burn down things unless they have a criminal intent. No peaceful protester comes with such an intent,” reiterated Mwangi.

Further, he has alleged an infiltration strategy applied by the government which could have possibly led to the division among the voices of the demonstration ahead of yesterday’s march to the Statehouse that never materialised.

“There were people paid by the state to incite young people to go to the Statehouse which brought about division and fear. The government doesn’t know how to control the narrative so they use a lot of infiltration and bad messaging to confuse the people,” he alleged.

Additionally, he says that the recent protests must mark a significant departure from past protests by getting compensation for victims, killer cops taking accountability, and citizens reclaiming the country from captors.

He also wants protesters who died in the demonstrations to be recognised as heroes.