Kapenguria MP Samuel Moroto has urged police officers to stop using excessive force on demonstrators. He cited an incident where police hurled teargas towards Maasai demonstrators who were protesting the killing of livestock by police officers in Laikipia County.
Moroto said the community was demonstrating peacefully and there was no need for police officers to disrupt the demonstration. “It’s a constitutional right for people to hold peaceful demonstrations. Police should stop using excessive force on people and shouldn’t try to silence demonstrators either,” he said.
Speaking in Kapenguria the MP said that they are going to hold demonstrations on Saturday at Turkwel gorge where innocent lives have been lost and urged police officers not to interrupt. “We’ll have a joint demonstration with elders from Turkana and West Pokot communities to protest the increased killings along the border by criminals. The Inspector general should guarantee us enough protection,” he said.
He said for the past one year many innocent children, who were herding cattle, have been killed along the border and no one has been arrested yet the culprits are known, “The police have failed to protect residents,” he said, “The criminals who are killing young children are known and nobody has been arrested.”
“On Tuesday evening, a 15-year-old boy who was looking after goats at the border was shot dead and the criminals didn’t take the goats. This is not cattle rustling, however, there are few criminals who want to destabilize peace in this region,” he said.
Moroto said police officers along the border aren’t diligently performing their duties yet Kenyans are paying heavy taxes. Moreover, the MP thanked the two communities for maintaining a peaceful coexistence by shunning retaliatory attacks even after the killings.
