The police revealed that the authors had malicious and criminal intentions, aimed at causing havoc and pinning blame on police officers.
The National Police Service (NPS) has clarified that the viral letter warning Kenyans of the planned occupy Parliament protests scheduled for Thursday, November 21 is fake.
NPS on Wednesday, November 20 advised Kenyans to ignore the contents of the letter, affirming that it did not come from the police organization, even though the authors crafted it to make it look almost identical to the real thing and accompanied it with a forged signature of Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.
The police revealed that the authors had malicious and criminal intentions, aimed at causing havoc and pinning blame on police officers.
“We wish to caution the general public that the document circulating on social media, claiming to be from NPS, is malicious and fake,” read the statement in part, adding “The document is from unscrupulous impostors with criminal intent.”
Protesters invading Parliament on June 25, 2024. /TV360 NIGERIA
The now-flagged letter by NPS sought to address the situation concerning the #OccupyParliament event, planned for November 21. President William Ruto is expected to deliver his State of the Nation Address in Parliament during a joint session at 2:30 pm.
“It has come to our attention that a gathering is to take place around the Parliament buildings, which are a designated protected zone under national security regulations,” the letter read in part.
“As per the law, any public gathering or demonstration around the Parliament area must be notified and approved by the police in advance. To date, no such notification has been received in relation to this event. Therefore, we must inform you that the gathering is unauthorized and is in violation of established protocols.”
The letter went on to reiterate to Kenyans that the area at Parliament buildings is sensitive, and any gathering or protest without prior authorization will not be tolerated.
“The National Police Service is committed to maintaining public order and ensuring the safety of all citizens, and as such, we are prepared to take necessary actions should this unauthorized event continue. We strongly urge the organizers to cease all activities around the Parliament buildings immediately,” the letter appealed to the organizers.
“Failure to comply with this warning will result in appropriate enforcement actions in accordance with the law. The safety of both participants and the general public is of utmost importance, and we ask for your cooperation in ensuring that the event does not escalate further.”
Meanwhile, a section of Kenyans are expected to protest in Nairobi and parts of the country owing to the current state of the nation and going by numerous social media posts, those in Nairobi are threatening to storm Parliament and replicate what was witnessed on June 25, 2024.
Kenyans need not be reminded of what happened the last time the precincts of Parliament were breached. Sections of it were set on fire as protesters overpowered police to storm the compound where lawmakers had passed the controversial Finance Bill 2024 aimed at introducing more punitive tax measures.
As of July 16, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) recorded 50 deaths spanning four weeks of demonstrations against the Finance Bill 2024, which began on Tuesday, June 18.
