Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga has condemned the destruction of property and looting witnessed during the anti-government protests on Tuesday.
In a statement on Wednesday, July 3, Raila noted that the Tuesday demos were different from the ones witnessed when the protests started.
The former Prime Minister observed that the protests were hijacked by criminals.
“People who were clearly not the Gen Z that started the initial protests hijacked it, looted businesses, attacked innocent Kenyans, and destroyed critical infrastructure. There are reports of innocent women being harassed and raped in some parts of the country.
“The scenes of people looting, vandalizing and robbing were way different from what was witnessed at the start of the protests when the Gen Z were in complete control of the process and its programs,” said Raila.
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The opposition chief sympathised with the families who were affected by goons during the Tuesday protests.
“I extend deep sympathy to the families who've suffered in the hands of looters posing as Gen 2 protestors, innocent people who've seen their business premises broken into, their products looted, and who now face the reality of being worse off than before the protests,” Raila added.
He further pointed out that the demos organized by the young people were out to correct the injustices in the country and educate Kenyans that protests can be peaceful, civil and still achieve the intended goals.
Raila said the hijacking of protests and turning them violent was a betrayal to the youth.
“For thugs to hijack the protests and turn them into mayhem against innocent Kenyans amounts to a double betrayal of the youth. The bad manners have to be stopped,” Raila stated.
His statement comes after Interior CS Kithure Kindiki warned the organizers of the protests saying the government is determined to stop anyone aiming to terrorize the public.
Kindiki claimed that similar chaos was being planned for this week on Thursday and Sunday.
"The organisers of today’s orgy of violence in parts of Nairobi, Mombasa, and several other parts of the Country are reportedly planning to repeat their anarchic chaos and cruel plunder again on thursday and sunday this week, and perhaps much more frequently in the future,” CS Kindiki stated.
