NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) 鈥 Kenya鈥檚 president on Wednesday broke his silence on recent anti-government protests that left dozens dead, urging police to 鈥渂reak the legs" of those who stole and burned property during the demonstrations.
President William Ruto said 鈥渆nough is enough鈥 and that he would not allow 鈥渁narchy鈥 in the country disguised as peaceful demonstrations.
鈥淎nyone going to burn people's property should be shot in the leg, be hospitalized and later taken to court upon recovery. Do not kill them but break their leg,鈥 he said while touring a site in Nairobi for one of his administration鈥檚 affordable housing projects.
Weeks of have rocked Kenya after a last month, angering many Kenyans. Tensions heightened after a policeman during one of the demonstrations against police brutality. Thousands turned out for protests on June 25, which coincided with the one-year anniversary of huge anti-tax protests.
On Monday, police erected roadblocks on all roads leading to the city center in the capital, Nairobi, blocking motorists and pedestrians deemed not to be in essential work. Police clashed with protesters on the outskirts of the city and in 17 of 47 counties across the country, leaving 31 people dead and more than 100 injured. More than 500 others were arrested.
A total of 50 people have died in the past two weeks during two separate waves of demonstrations. The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Volker T眉rk, on Tuesday urged that the grievances leading to the protests are addressed.
Ruto on Wednesday claimed the discontent was politically motivated and said that he would not allow destruction of property.
鈥淵ou can call me whatever names you want to call me, but I will make sure there is peace and stability in Kenya by all means,鈥 Ruto said.
The president read a riot act to his political rivals who he said wanted to overthrow his government through violence, adding that 鈥渁nyone who attacks a police station, that is a declaration of war.鈥
鈥淭his is a democratic country, and the citizens are the ones who determine its leadership through an election. We cannot decide leadership through violence,鈥 Ruto said.
Mong鈥檃re Okong鈥檕, a lawyer and politician, condemned Ruto's comments as 鈥渁 reckless tragedy in waiting.鈥
鈥淗as he considered the biological trauma of bullet wounds, shattered bones, severed arteries, permanent disability?" he said. 鈥淪uch commands undermine due process and escalate brutality. A president should uphold life and law, not casually prescribe violence with irreversible consequences. Leadership demands wisdom, not war talk.鈥
Civil society groups have repeatedly called for restraint by police during demonstrations. Five police officers were recently charged in court over the death of a blogger in custody and the close-range shooting of a civilian. The deputy police inspector general Eliud Langat, who had filed a complaint about the blogger鈥檚 social media posts accusing him of corruption, has since stepped aside as investigations continue.
