Teachers, lobbies call for Ruto, Raila dialogue to end protests

The Kenya National Union of Teachers has called on the government and the opposition to find an amicable solution to their disagreements.

Speaking to the press in Mombasa yesterday, Knut national chair Patrick Munuhe said schools have experienced disturbances because of the anti-government demos called by the Opposition.

“That is why we are telling the government to look for solutions,” Munuhe said.

“We cannot be having our pupils away from school. When our young learners are not going to school, our teachers are also not comfortable.”

He spoke at the Annual General Meeting of the Knut Kilindini Branch at St Luke’s ACK Church in Makande.

Schools in Mombasa, Nairobi and Kisumu were closed on Wednesday, which was Day One of the three-day protests called by Azimio leader Raila Odinga.

The state then ordered that the schools resume learning on Thursday, amid more demonstrations.

Munuhe urged Interior CS Kithure Kindiki to ensure the safety of teachers and learners in schools amid the anti-government protests across the country.

He said the security of teachers and learners is threatened in such situations, yet they are human beings and Kenyans who must enjoy peace.

“As a union, we have nothing to do because we have the Ministry of Interior. That is the one that is taking care of the Kenyan citizen,” Munuhe said.

Meanwhile, the civil society in Mombasa has called out the allies of President William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila for their refusal to hold meaningful talks to end the stalemate between them.

Speaking to the press in Mombasa yesterday, Haki Africa executive director Hussein Khalid said the two leaders’ foot soldiers should not be tasked with dialogue to find a solution.

They are hardliners who are only after protecting their own power or influence, he said.

He said neutral parties, not politicians, should mediate the dialogue process.

“We want the two protagonists, particularly the Azimio and the Kenya Kwanza coalitions, to immediately revert to the dialogue process to ensure this country moves forward as one,” Khalid said.

He said Kenya is bigger than the two political sides, whose soldiers have been chest-thumping across the country and maintaining hardline stances that are costing Kenyans peace and security.

Haki Africa, a member of the Jumuiya ya Mashirika ya Pwani, a conglomeration of several Civil Society Organisations at the Coast, called out the government for brazenly disobeying court orders, saying it is a recipe for anarchy in the country.

The courts suspended the implementation of the Finance Act 2023 after Busia Senator and activist Okiya Omtatah, among others, moved to court seeking to have the Act declared unconstitutional.

“Unfortunately, in various quarters, we have seen total ignorance of this court decision, which has further exacerbated the situation and made things more difficult for the mwananchi,” Khalid said.

“It is an open and clear fact that the cost of living has soared in Kenya over the last couple of months. This has meant that the ordinary mwananchi can no longer put food on the table at the end of the day.”

He called on the government to suspend all actions targeting implementation of the unconstitutional Finance Act 2023.

The Jumuiya ya Mashirika ya Pwani said the demonstrations have claimed at least 27 lives across the country.

The JMP said they have documented 300 arrests across the country, too.

“To date, most of these have not had their day in court,” they said.

They called on CS Kindiki to take stern action on police officers caught on camera using brute force to brutalise innocent demonstrators.

Khalid condemned the attack on a human rights office in Nyando, Kisumu county.

The rights groups said attacks on media personalities covering the anti-government protests are unwarranted.

“It is wrong for the government to use their resources to suppress the media and CSOs,” Human Rights Agenda’s Alex Nziwi said.

“Like the journalist from Africa Uncensored who was arrested and the attack on the Nyando Justice Centre.”

Haki Africa’s Salma Hemed condemned the violence during the demonstrations, saying those bearing the brunt are the women and children.

“Women vendors in the streets suffer the most because they cannot run and end up being caught in the melee between the police and the protestors,” Hemed said.

She called out President Ruto and Raila, saying they should sit down and think of the many Kenyans suffering because of them.

“These two grown-ups should soul-search and realise that when two bulls fight, it is the grass that gets hurt,” she said.