Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has weighed in on the anti-finance bill protests that were witnessed on Tuesday across major towns in the country.
In a statement, Uhuru said he was saddened by the loss of lives that happened during the violent protests.
The former President noted that it is the right of Kenyans to protest and it is enshrined in the 2010 constitution adding that leaders should listen to the electorate.
“I come to you with a heavy heart. Saddened by the loss of lives occasioned by the current situation prevailing in our country. it is the right of every Kenyan to protest as determined as determined by the constitution we all promulgated in 2010. It is also the duty of leaders to listen to those they lead,” said Uhuru.
He urged leaders that they are mandated to listen to the people and must know that their power and authority is donated to them by the people.
“I therefore call for calm and for the leadership to show restraint and do the right thing by listening to the people and not be antagonistic to them. Violence on either side is not the answer,” he added.
Further, Uhuru said he prays for wisdom and civility to be established and for peace and progress to belong to all Kenyans.
“Dear Kenyans, I stand with you and I ask our leadership to embrace dialogue and speak to the people and not at the people. I pray for peace and understanding on the part of each and every Kenyan and for all of us to remember that Kenya is bigger than one of us; there is nothing cast in stone that cannot be changed,” he added.
His statement comes after chaos was witnessed in the Tuesday protests with property of unknown value destroyed.
Protestors stormed the Parliament buildings in Nairobi despite the heavy police presence that was deployed to stop them.
The anti-finance bill protests were also witnessed across major towns in the country including Mombasa, Kisumu, Kisii, Nyeri, and Eldoret.
Also Read: Kenyans Storm Parliament Buildings, Destroys Property
