Lawyer lashes Ruto for shoot to injure order

Constitutional lawyer Willis Otieno has strongly criticised President William Ruto over his directive to the police to shoot protesters involved in looting or violent attacks, reports K24 Digital. His comments come just a day after Ruto told police officers to ‘shoot the leg’ of anyone caught looting or engaging in acts of violence. Otieno described the President’s remarks as a dangerous affront to constitutional values and the rule of law. ‘A President standing on a public platform and openly instructing police to shoot unarmed Kenyans is not only morally bankrupt, it is a blatant violation of the Constitution,’ Otieno said. The controversial order has sparked widespread concern from human rights groups, legal experts and members of the public. Otieno further argued that Ruto’s remarks undermined democratic governance, saying: ‘That is not leadership. That is tyranny.’ Quoting Article 129(1) of the Kenyan Constitution, Otieno cited that executive authority must be exercised in a manner that respects the rule of law, democracy, and human rights. Otieno called on independent institutions and civil society to speak out against what he termed state-sponsored violence, warning that normalising such rhetoric could erode constitutional safeguards and embolden impunity within the police service.

According to The Guardian, the shoot to injure order comes after the latest protests on Monday when Kenyans took to the streets to mark Saba Saba (Seven Seven), the day on 7 July 1990 when Kenyans rose up to demand a return to multiparty democracy after years of autocratic rule under Daniel Arap Moi. Thirty-one people were killed on Monday and 107 injured, according to the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, bringing the toll to 51 over the past two months, according to AFP. In addition, the UN Children's Fund condemned the killing of a 12-year-old girl by a stray bullet while she was at home in Kiambu county, nine miles from the capital, as well as the arrest of children during the protests. 

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Full report in The Guardian

Full report in K24 Digital