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Suna East MP Junet Mohammed has called on the government to stop barricading roads in the wake of Azimio’s call for mass action.
The outspoken MP said the move amounts to an impediment to Kenyans’ right to freedom of movement.
“All road barricades politically erected must be removed. We in MDD do not expect him to achieve anything, but we won’t accept his attempt to turn Kenya into a failed state,” Junet said in a statement on Friday.
Azimio la Umoja under Raila Odinga’s leadership on Thursday launched what they termed as Movement for the Defence of Democracy (MDD) to denounce what they termed as President William Ruto’s illegitimate regime through mass action.
Prior to the launch at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation in Nairobi, police in Kisumu barricaded roads leading to the Kisumu State Lodge seemingly to keep at bay Azimio supporters that would have attempted to storm the official residence of the President.
A day earlier on Wednesday just hours before the expiry of Raila’s 14-day ultimatum for the Kenya Kwanza regime to lower the cost of living or face street protests, police also blocked roads leading to State House, Nairobi.
They also erected roadblocks along State Lodge Road in Kisumu’s Milimani Estate on Friday but irate Azimio supporters removed the spiked barricades from the road.
They chanted “Ruto must go” as they attempted to break through the police formation across the road which leads to the State Lodge.
No teargas was hurled during the confrontation even as a police officer who tried to recover the barriers was overpowered by the crowd.
Raila also ran into the blockade on his way from Yacht Club where he had landed from Migori and was heading to Mama Grace Onyango’s home to condole with the family.
Raila and those in his convoy alighted from their vehicles, removed the barricades and proceeded with their journey.
Junet said Kenyans’ political rights will not be sacrificed at the alter of what he termed as an “illegitimate regime hiding behind the security apparatus of the country to cling to power”.
The lawmaker said they will jealously guard Kenyans’ right to freedom of movement, demonstrate and picket and assemble.
“Kenya was free before Ruto. It must remain so. We reject Ruto’s attempt to curtail the free movement of Kenyans.”
Junet said no amount of intimidation, threats, fearmongering and securitisation of the State will make MDD abandon constitutional safeguards against dictatorship.