{"id":117024,"date":"2025-06-24T09:03:03","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T09:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/06\/24\/wetangula-tells-us-envoy-he-expects-peaceful-june-25-protests\/"},"modified":"2025-06-24T09:03:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T09:03:03","slug":"wetangula-tells-us-envoy-he-expects-peaceful-june-25-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wetangula-tells-us-envoy-he-expects-peaceful-june-25-protests\/","title":{"rendered":"Wetang\u2019ula Tells US Envoy He Expects Peaceful June 25 Protests"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya June 24 \u2013<\/em> National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang\u2019ula has expressed optimism that the planned June 25 protests, organised to commemorate last year\u2019s Gen Z demonstrations, will be peaceful and non-violent.<\/p>\n

Speaking during a courtesy call by outgoing Acting US Ambassador Mark Dillard, Wetang\u2019ula said Parliament is ready to listen to the issues raised by the demonstrators\u2014provided the protests remain orderly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis talk of a memorial for the last disturbances, if it is peaceful demonstrations, it shouldn\u2019t be an issue,\u201d the Speaker said. \u201cOn the issues they have raised, Parliament is ready to address them. If it degenerates into violence, it is out of my hands and other agencies will handle that. But I hope it will be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ambassador Dillard used the meeting to express concern over recent events, including the death of blogger Albert Ojwang while in police custody, and reports of excessive force by security agencies. He stressed the importance of accountability and the need for security forces to be held responsible for their actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are keen on the issue of accountability, making sure the police are held accountable. We expect the commemoration to be non-violent,\u201d said Dillard.<\/p>\n

In response, Speaker Wetang\u2019ula reaffirmed his belief in the role of the police in safeguarding lives and property but stressed that rogue elements within the force must be dealt with individually.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolice do a good job in protecting lives and property. In their absence, there is chaos. But if there are rotten apples among them, we pluck them out and deal with them as individuals,\u201d he said. \u201cA criminal remains a criminal\u2014whether in the police, the military or as a civilian.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that while demonstrators may have genuine grievances, the risk of infiltration by criminal elements remains a concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe demonstrators may be very genuine, but we have hooligans and criminals who infiltrate, start terrorising traders and looting property. It becomes criminal,\u201d Wetang\u2019ula noted.<\/p>\n

The Speaker also called for legislation to guide the implementation of the constitutional right to picket. He said other jurisdictions have clear laws governing demonstrations, including how grievances are submitted to relevant authorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout legislation, I sat with the House leadership and directed them: if there are picketers at the gate, the whips for the Majority and Minority should engage them, collect their petitions, and assure them of action. That way, we avoid a spectacle that invites police intervention and potential mayhem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ambassador Dillard acknowledged the challenge of balancing freedom of expression with the need to maintain law and order.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a difficult balance to manage\u2014facilitating people\u2019s rights to speak, while protecting property, lives, and safety,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Both leaders agreed that peace remains a critical foundation for Kenya\u2019s economic stability and national growth.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya June 24 \u2013 National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang\u2019ula has expressed optimism that the planned June 25 protests, organised to commemorate last year\u2019s Gen Z demonstrations, will be peaceful and non-violent. Speaking during a courtesy call by outgoing Acting US Ambassador Mark Dillard, Wetang\u2019ula said Parliament is ready to listen to the issues raised […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117024\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}