Opposition leader Raila Odinga has said the Azimio La Umoja Coalition is gathering evidence of police brutality to be submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICC) in The Hague.
Addressing an international press conference in Nairobi on Tuesday, Odinga said the country is currently experiencing early stages of genocide and political persecution as a result of State-sanctioned police brutality.
“We are currently assembling more evidence which we will shortly present to the International Criminal Court with an appeal to the court to open a file on State-sanctioned police atrocities in Kenya,” he said.
The Azimio leader claimed that the ongoing protests have evolved beyond their initial causes of punitive taxation and high cost of living. He accused the police of displaying bias and pursuing an ethnic agenda in certain regions of the country under the pretext of suppressing the protests.
“We believe Kenya is on a wrong path that could impact any countries in the region and lead to a major instability,” he said
Adding: “Ethnic divisions and tensions are building up especially after the regime declared that the country is a company of limited shares, pegged on how one voted. As things stand, I fear we are marching down a very slippery path.”
Raila further asserted that there is no justification for the police to resort to the use of excessive force, which includes entering people’s homes and shooting or physically assaulting them. He specifically pointed out instances of such violence occurring in Kisumu and the slums of Nairobi.
“We never anticipated the unprecedented horrors of police brutality against protestors. With constitutional guaranteed for protestors, we never imagined that police would outlaw protests, confront protests and kill so many. Although the tax protests was initiated by Azimio, it has since gone beyond the party,” he said.
Raila also took issue with President William Ruto’s administration for engaging in sustained and constant verbal attacks against former President Uhuru Kenyatta. He expressed concern over the withdrawal of security from Kenyatta’s mother, Mama Ngina Kenyatta, and his son Jomo, allegedly by individuals claiming to be police without proper authorization.
“As a country, we developed the unwritten rule that for the sake of stability and dignity of our nation, we shall as much as possible let retired presidents live in peace,” Odinga said.
