Raila Odinga Addresses Nationwide Military Deployment

ODM leader Raila Odinga has criticised the Government over the deployment of the military in the country. 

Speaking in Siaya County on Saturday, June 29, the Opposition leaders noted that the military is meant to deal with external aggressors, not internal strife. 

“The military are not supposed to be in the streets. The Army is supposed to protect the civilians against external aggressors and not deal with internal strife," Odinga stated. 

The former premier added, "This means that the civilian authority in this country has failed." 

Odinga at the same time condemned police for using live bullets on young protestors who took to the streets to protest against the Finance Bill 2024. 

"We've lost so many young promising Kenyans unnecessarily in the last one week, because of the policemen who have been instructed to shoot to kill. The law allows the Kenyan people to demonstrate peacefully. Peaceful demonstrators should be escorted by the police. They should not be shot by the police," he said.  

This comes barely a day after Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces across all 47 counties in Kenya.

In a gazette notice on Friday, June 28, Duale said the military will help the National Police Service (NPS) to secure critical government infrastructure and maintain law and order. 

Duale neither clarified the duration of time the army will be on the streets only stating 'until normalcy is restored.' 

“Based on the prevailing threats to national security planned and orchestrated through various platforms in the cyberspace, the deployment will cover the Forty-Seven Counties within the Republic of Kenya where critical installations and infrastructure are located in order to assist the National Police Service to preserve life, preserve the internal security of the State, protect property as well as maintain law and order,” read the gazette notice in part.