JACOB: Raila must change tact to protect youths from violent protests

Azimio La Umoja leader Raila Odinga actualised his threat to lead what he termed as peaceful demonstrations against President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration.

Odinga and other Azimio leaders came in late to take charge after we witnessed some violent protests in Kisumu and some parts of Nairobi.

We all understand Odinga’s capacity when it comes to mobilising his supporters who take every word from him as a command.

But what is the end game and how are the young people who are putting their lives on the line going to benefit?

While Odinga claims that the protests he is leading are about the poor state of our economy, it is very clear that this is a political duel that would otherwise be solved without much public drama.

Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

The right of peaceful assembly includes the right to hold meetings, strikes, rallies, events or protests, both offline and online.

It serves as a vehicle for the exercise of many other rights guaranteed under our Kenyan law and even international law.

Nonetheless, the type of violent protests witnessed put Kenya and its youth at the epicentre of the scholarly and policy debates on youth and violence.

We all know that protests can have both positive and negative impacts.

The most positive impact can be to bring about change to wrongs that have been committed. The negative impact is when protests draw a criminal element that results in violence.

There have been peaceful protests that have turned violent.

There have been several peaceful protests, including those by civic organizations on human rights and the state of the economy in Kenya.

Some of these protests have been positive and have been successful in directing attention to injustices in dealing with matters of race.

The unfortunate thing about the protests is that they can turn ugly.

If the wrong people are attracted to them, people can be hurt.

Another unfortunate effect is that the force exerted by a few policemen smears all law enforcement officials.

Worldwide, protests do direct attention to injustices and call for action for reforms and we accept that Kenya is not an exception.

I would like to understand why Raila cannot adopt a different strategy that could yield results.

A recent article published in social psychology’s most prestigious journal found that more extreme types of protests (e.g., vandalism, obstructing roadways) produce less support for the cause than more moderate types of protest (e.g marching with signs).

In the case of Raila, I would suggest that he replace it with well-organised elite protests both in the streets and in institutions like the national assembly where he has his elected MPs push his agenda.

Extreme and well-organized protests not only get more media attention (which spreads greater awareness), but they also apply pressure on the people who can change things.

Now, no one wants such change to grow to a riot nor am I asserting that this is the way to achieve change.

In the end, we should all want to do whatever we can to attain a society with the greatest safety and equality for all.

We all know that violence is a huge threat to the peace and stability of a country.

It's high time politicians who are found guilty of using innocent youth to cause violence stopped immediately since the Constitution outlaws violation of human rights.

In the meantime, it is important for all relevant stakeholders to jointly agree on how to ensure Kenya remains stable.

Let us be ourselves and think critically. Focus on yourself. The rule of law is in place.

As you prepare for anything, remember about your family life. For those who are feeling unsafe with what is happening, take some steps and locate yourself.

Yes, everyone has the freedom to choose what they want in life. But remember your today counts in future references.  To our young people, at times we are taken for granted, carried by political waves but we must focus on building our nation.

Let us take a step forward and build our nation.

Someone somewhere might be watching your positive impacts on building the nation.  

The writer is a Journalist, media consultant and security expert