President William Ruto has broken his silence after anti-finance bill protests turned violent on Tuesday, June 25.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, the Head of State asserted that lawful protests by law abiding citizens were hijacked by organized criminals.
"An otherwise legitimate expression of the fundamental rights and freedom of assembly, demonstration, picketing, and petitioning of public authorities by a section of law-abiding citizens of the Republic of Kenya, was infiltrated and hijacked by a group of organized criminals," President Ruto said.
He added that the chaotic events on Tuesday marked a critical turning point in how the country responds to grave threats to national security.
"I assure the nation that the government has mobilised all the resources at the nation’s disposal to ensure that a situation of this nature will not recur again at whatever cost.
Read More
"I have directed all the organs of our national security to deploy all measures to thwart any attempts by dangerous criminals to undermine the security and stability of our country," the president remarked.
President Ruto assured Kenyans that they were safe as their security and that of their families and property remained his utmost priority.
He added that it was possible that the perpetrators who attempted to challenge the law enforcement authorities were still determined to continue with their acts.
"I hereby put on notice the planners, financiers, orchestrators and abettors of violence and anarchy, that the security infrastructure established to protect our republic and its sovereignty, will be deployed to secure the country and restore normalcy," the president remarked.
The Head of State further thanked the young people, maintaining that the conversation that they had started will continue to inform governance decisions.
"However, our national conversations on any subject matter must be conducted in a manner that respects and honours the foundational values upon which our nation is established, namely, constitutionalism, the rule of law and respect for institutions," he added.
