Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has weighed on the protesters storming the National Assembly during the June 25, 2024, anti-Finance Bill protests.
Omtatah said that he thinks the police allowed the protesters into parliament, adding that no force could overpower the police.
“First of all, I believe that if the Kenya police wanted to stop anyone from getting into the parliament there would be no force that could overpower the police. The police simply allowed it to happen. They pulled back,” Omtatah said.
The senator further disclosed that their efforts to address the protesters were futile since the security did not allow them.
“My office is on the seventh floor of the Bunge Tower so I had a bird’s eye view of what was going on. We had complained about the armed men. They did not have any identification marks other than the sniper rifle they had. We had said we meet with the protesters and have them address us. Some of us volunteered but the security people did not allow us to so we were stopped,” he explained.
Parliament occupation
Narrating on the events that took place during the occupation, Omatatah stated that the parliament story has not been told adding that there was no violence from the protesters during the storming.
“The story of parliament has not been told. Why is it that the tables shown are broken and not the plates that they were using to eat that food? Analyzing what happened there, it was after the sniper had killed people they had to create a backdrop to justify the violence. The young man seen saying Mr speaker sir was inside the people’s chamber he did not threaten anybody and so when they ran through the tunnel, some of us tried to prevail to the National Assembly,” Omtatah said.
“There was no violence from the protesters. You see the physically challenged Member of Parliament was not harassed and so many MPs ran into these young people were not harassed no MP was hit. People were mocked, yes, but nobody was hit.”
He further stated that there was no justification for police violence towards the protesters.
“So from where I was and what I saw, there was no justification for that kind of violence but I still believe if anybody has got any sense they could see the police stepped back. I don’t know if you know on that day there was no arrest during the demos. Even a single arrest,” Omtatah said.
The story of parliament when Gen Z #OccupyParliament has not been told pic.twitter.com/pSLIJqqH5l
— Okiya Omtatah Okoiti (@OkiyaOmtatah) July 16, 2024
Police on occupy parliament
On June 20, 2024, the National police warned the protesters against invading the parliament buildings or disrupting parliamentary proceedings.
In a statement shared on X, the police said that they respect the constitution stipulating the right of citizens to assemble, adding that the service will not condone nor approve efforts by the protesters to occupy critical government infrastructure.
“The National Police Service is cognizant of the current demonstrations going on across the Country today June 20, 2024, and the ongoing debate at the National Assembly regarding Finance Bill, 2024,” the national police statement reads.
“With utmost respect to the provisions of Article 37 of the Constitution stipulating the right of citizens to assemble, demonstrate and picket, the Service will neither condone nor approve efforts by demonstrators to either occupy critical government infrastructure including Parliament Buildings, or disrupt the ongoing Parliamentary proceedings.”
PRESS STATEMENT ON PUBLIC DEMONSTRATIONS TO OCCUPY PARLIAMENT ON JUNE 20, 2024 pic.twitter.com/M2Y2g3qH7s
— National Police Service-Kenya (@NPSOfficial_KE) June 20, 2024