Former Starehe MP aspirant Steve Mbogo has told President William Ruto to rethink his decision to involve the Kenya Defence Forces in the affairs of the country.
Speaking with a local radio station, Mbogo expressed his misgivings about the move, stating that the law was bypassed during the decision-making process which led to the deployment of the soldiers to the streets.
“The military can only be called in when the police are unable to restore peace and when you look at the situation on Tuesday, the police were not unable to restore peace because in the world our police are known to be among the best, and that is why we are sending some to Haiti,” Mbogo stated.
The youthful politician also stated that the deployment of KDF must first be approved by Parliament and that the soldiers must undergo training in crowd management to understand how to peacefully engage civilians.
“The main objective of the military in Kenya is to deal with our nation’s external enemies, now when you are deploying the KDF on us, are you implying our citizens have become enemies of the state,” Mbogo remarked.
Mbogo, however, noted that he believed that the military, being a disciplined force, would not engage in the killing of unarmed civilians.
“Involving the military in internal matters is not a good sign, many countries which have invited the military into governance find it difficult to actualise proper democracy, and President Ruto should rethink,” Mbogo said.
Parliament approves KDF deployment
The National Assembly on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, approved the decision by the Defence Council to involve the Kenya Defence Forces in internal affairs.
“That, pursuant to Article 241(3)(c) of the Constitution and sections 31(1)(b), 31(1)(c) and 32 of the Kenya Defence Forces Act, Cap. 199, this House accedes to the request of the Defence Council dated 26th June 2024 and, in the interest of national security, APPROVES the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in support of the National Police Service in various parts of the Republic of Kenya affected by ongoing violent protests that have caused destruction to critical infrastructure until normalcy is restored,” a statement read.
The decision to deploy the military was approved amid calls by members of parliament drawn from the Opposition coalition that the law was disregarded.
On Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale released a gazette notice stating that the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) were deployed to help police officers restore order and calm after protesters occupied Parliament and invaded various state infrastructure in various regions.
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