Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has strongly condemned the killing of unarmed protesters in Kenya by security forces.
Frank, who described the killings as barbaric and unacceptable in a democracy, pleaded passionately with President Williams Ruto of Kenyan to urgently halt the killings by calling the security agencies to order.
The Kenyan police had fired to disperse demonstrators in Nairobi marking the 35th anniversary of pro-democracy rallies on Monday, where police said 11 people were killed and about 567 arrested nationwide in the latest anti-government protests to end in bloodshed.
The demonstrations mark the 35th anniversary of the historic Saba Saba – meaning “seven-seven” – protests of July 7, 1990, which launched Kenya’s push for multi-party democracy.
The death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody last month has given the protests fresh impetus, fuelling anger against the authorities and bringing hundreds onto the streets, according to Reuters.
“It is time to stop these avoidable murders,” Frank said, while urging the Kenyan Government to follow the rule of law in bringing the protests to an end.
He called for immediate release of all detained protesters by the Kenyan Police and commiserated with families who have lost loved ones to the protest.
“They would be remembered as those who died fighting for a better future for their country,” he said.
He reminded Ruto, whom he called his friend, that the peaceful and unarmed protesters now being killed and thrown into jails for advocating for good governance, voted despite intimidation and harassment to elect him to office.
“The right thing to do is not to kill them but to dialogue with them,” he said. “This is democracy. You were elected and these were the people who believed in you and voted for you and it is their constitutional right to protest if they are dissatisfied with your administration.”
According to him, the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters is a direct breach of international law, especially the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
“This nonsense in Africa has to stop where African leaders will be killing peaceful protesters unnecessarily,” he said. “But when they need the vote of the people, they will dance with them and make all kinds of promises.”
He called for immediate sanctions against Ruto and his administration and a travel ban on chiefs of police that shot protesters with live ammunition.
He called on the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, and the United Nations to intervene and call Ruto to order over his dictatorial actions.
“It is wrong to kill protesters. Instead of killing them, it is the duty of government to protect them,” he said. “We saw recently when there was protest against Trump. They did not deploy the National Guard to kill the protesters but rather to protect them and that is what democracy is all about.
“This is a time for Trump to speak out for those young Africans being killed for demanding good governance and to see to it that they get justice,” he said.
Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors to investigate and prosecute Ruto and his security chiefs for the ongoing killing of innocent youths.
He urged the protesters to be courageous and resolute in their demand in spite of the high highhandedness of the security forces against them.
He condemned the leadership of the Africa Union for their irresponsible act by not speaking up in the face of a heinous crime being perpetrated against youths in the continent.
“African heads of state and governments only speak when a coup takes place and one of their own is affected and that is the only time they are relevant. This is most unfortunate,” he stated.
