Karua: We don't require police permission to hold protests

Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua has weighed in on police remarks that they will not allow the Azimio coalition to hold scheduled protests on Tuesday.

Karua through her Twitter account on Sunday said they do not require permission from the police or anybody else to hold the protests.

"Bungei and Police ought to know that Kenya is a constitutional democracy, not a dictatorship," she said.

Karua went on to say that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

"Kenyans of goodwill must resist with all their might introduction of dictatorship and abrogation of fundamental freedoms."

According to Karua, Inspector General of Police and Kenya Police Service and Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei are the sole source of violence in Azimio, saying that their demonstrations are peaceful.

"Any law enforcement officer who acts contrary to the constitution will be held to account individually both locally and locally internationally as appropriate," Karua said.

"We are peaceful and all our demonstrations have been peaceful until a section of police introduces uncalled for brutality and use of excessive force including live bullets on unarmed civilians."

Azimio leader Raila Odinga announced the resumption of nationwide protests beginning Tuesday.

Karua's remarks come after Bungei said while the Constitution allows every citizen to peaceably and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket, and to present petitions to public authorities, that right is not absolute.

He said the last protests were marred with violence with demonstrators turning up while armed hence the decision to ban it.

"Previous demonstrations were marred with violence as the demonstrators were armed with machetes, who attacked innocent members of the public who were going about their business resulting in the destruction of property, attacks on members of the general public," Bungei said in a press conference Sunday.