Kenya’s interior ministry is proposing changes to security laws that will make protesting more difficult.
Kenyans have the right to assemble, demonstrate, and picket under the constitution, but they must be peaceful and unarmed.
Protests in opposition strongholds last week resulted in the death of one university student after police used tear gas and live ammunition to disperse crowds.
The ministry’s proposed changes aim to limit the number of protesters on any given occasion and to make protesters pay for cleanup costs.
Protesters must also obtain permission from those who will be affected by the protests. The demonstrators will also be held liable for compensating those who have been harmed as a result of their actions.
The interior ministry also wants to demarcate areas where people can assemble and protest the proposed changes.
“It is not feasible for security organs to allow large groups of people to roam streets and neighborhoods of their choosing, carrying stones and other offensive weapons, chanting political slogans, and disrupting the daily activities of others,” the ministry said in a statement.
It is not feasible for security organs to allow masses of people to roam streets and neighborhoods of their choice carrying stones and other offensive weapons while chanting political slogans and disrupting the daily activities of others. pic.twitter.com/3nmmwmyMC2
— Ministry of Interior | Kenya (@InteriorKE) March 26, 2023
Some have called the proposed changes “an affront to the foundations of an open and democratic society” and a “law that violates the constitution.”
It comes as the opposition vows to keep protesting the high cost of living and alleged electoral malpractices.
The Kindiki regulations and the general disposition of Kenya Kwanza towards political rights and freedoms are an affront to the foundations of an open and democratic society. Kenya is in crisis compounded with an economic meltdown.
— James Orengo (@orengo_james) March 26, 2023
