Ruling to pay for protest damage denounced

A  multi-partyism crusader and Embu teachers on Sunday denounced a High Court ruling requiring protest organisers to pay for damage caused by their demonstrations.

Ford Asili secretary general Njeru Kathangu and Kenya National Union of Teachers Embu branch executive Secretary Josphat Kathumi termed the ruling unreasonable, impractical and a reversal of constitutionally guaranteed freedoms

These include freedoms of speech and assembly.

They spoke separately to the Star.

Nyeri judge James Makau delivered the ruling on August 8. It arose from a case filed Nyeri MP Ngunjiri Wambugu seeking directions on how demonstrations should balance the rights of those picketing with rights of nonparticipants.

It is expected to be appealed.

Speaking un Embu town, Kathangu said that the government or anybody or anything people demonstrate against cannot impose fines or punishment for demonstrations.

He said for many years the government did want any demonstrations and has never accepted them.

Kathangu said that the system is trying to take the country backwards and the move must be stopped by every means. He said the Constitution must not be amended to penalise demonstrators.

He said that property is usually destroyed when people react to mistreatment, such as the beating or killing demonstrators.

“People have every right to demand responsibility from their government if a citizen is killed for doing what is provided for by the Constitution, or if property is destroyed," Kathungu said.

There is no way out for the government "except to compensate and in fact apologise to the people,” Kathangu said.

Kathumi said demonstrations should be peaceful "but what about thugs coming in and demonstrators counter-attacking the hooligans?" he asked.

He said it’s practically impossible to go telling the people along the route that demonstrators will follow that there will be a protest, especially in rural areas.

 “The ruling has made it impossible for people to demonstrate, especially when the government has been aggrieving the people at will and forcing them to demonstrate,” Kathumi said.

"The ruling is like telling the people there's no freedom of expression. Parliament should not enact such laws and the judge who gave the ruling is very unreasonable,” he said.

The ruling said protest organisers will be required to bear responsibility for the destruction and other costs incurred during demos.

(Edited by V. Graham)