Kenya Proposes Change To Laws To Restrict Protests
Kenya’s interior ministry is proposing changes to security laws that will make it more difficult for people to hold protests.
The constitution gives Kenyans the right to assemble, demonstrate and picket, but the participants must be peaceful and unarmed.
Protests held last week in opposition strongholds left one university student dead after police used tear gas and live ammunition to disperse crowds.
The changes proposed by the ministry seeks to limit the number of people holding protests at any particular occasion, and makes protesters pay the costs of cleaning up.
Protesters must also seek consent from the people affected by the protests. The demonstrators will also be liable for paying damages to those harmed by their activities.
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In the proposed changes, the interior ministry also seeks the demarcation of areas where people can assemble and hold protests.
The proposed changes have been criticised by some as “an affront to the foundations of an open and democratic society” and as a “law that contravenes the constitution”.
The demonstrators are protesting issues such as the high cost of living and alleged electoral malpractices.
The Interior Ministry hopes that by imposing restrictions on protests, it can prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
The Ministry maintains that these changes are necessary to ensure public safety and prevent the disruption of daily activities.
According to the Ministry, “It is not feasible for security organs to allow masses of people to roam streets and neighborhoods of their choice carrying stones and other offensive weapons while chanting political slogans and disrupting the daily activities of others.”
Critics of the proposed changes, however, have characterized them as an assault on democracy and the fundamental principles of an open society.
Some have even argued that the proposed law is in direct violation of the country’s constitution.
