Follow rules on gatherings, Matiang'i urges leaders

 

Interior CS Fred Matiang'i has urged leaders to follow the guidelines issued by the National Security Advisory Committee on public gatherings.

He has further directed leaders to check on their utterances so as not to undermine the law.

"I ask all the leaders to think about the country from their speeches and social media platforms. No amount of force or legislation will control morality and sense of responsibility," Matiang'i said.

The Interior CS spoke in Nairobi on Thursday during the launch of the Pambazuka, the Kenya Police Sacco digital systems upgrade.

On Wednesday, Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua directed that all public meetings be held in compliance with the Public Order Act, failing which culprits will be penalised.

"A convener or any person intending to hold a meeting shall notify the officer commanding station three days to but not 14 days before the procession," Kinyua, who is also the chair NSAC, said.

He said all persons who elect to address any public meeting and procession shall be bound by the legal penalties.

"The unchecked utterances and political weaponisation of public gatherings continue to undermine law and order within the country. This disregard for the law has triggered violent confrontations among different groupings, thus threatening national security," he said.

The directive comes days after chaos rocked Murang'a during a church service which Deputy President William Ruto attended. Two people died in the fracas.

ODM leader Raila Odinga said there was a need for peace-loving Kenyans to be more concerned, cautioning that the seeds of 2022 poll violence are being planted now.