Wiper Patriotic Front party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has paid a glowing tribute to pro-democracy heroes, including the late Prime Minister Raila Odinga, in his Saba Saba message.
The Saba Saba anniversary is held every year on July 7 to commemorate the 1990 demonstrations that were held to push for a multiparty democracy in the country. While naming the heroes involved in the 1990 demos, Kalonzo outlined what the leaders underwent at the hands of security officials.
“Thirty-six years ago today, on the 7th of July, 1990, Raila Odinga, Kenneth Matiba, Masinde Muliro, Charles Rubia, Martin Shikuku, James Orengo, and countless patriots defied a one-party dictatorship at Kamukunji, Nairobi,” a statement by Kalonzo and shared with media houses read.
“They were beaten, detained, and hunted for daring to demand that Kenyans choose their own leaders. Their courage and sacrifice forced the repeal of Section 2A, reopening the path to multiparty democracy. To the pioneers of Saba Saba, we say, “Kenya remembers you, and we honour your sacrifices.”
Kalonzo hails Gen Zs
While recalling what Saba Saba demos achieved, the former Vice President said the youngsters, popularly known as Gen Zs, inherited the mantle.
“The young Kenyans in our streets today, the Gen Z of this Republic, have not abandoned that struggle; they have inherited it. The Constitution of Kenya 2010, born of the sacrifices and the long reform movement, guarantees every citizen the right to picket and to present petitions to public authorities under Article 37,” Kalonzo said.
Police condemned
However, Kalonzo condemned the police for the use of excessive force while handling demonstrators.
“When our young people march peacefully to demand an end to abductions and extrajudicial killings, they are not lawbreakers. They are Kenyans exercising a constitutional right that their elders bled for. Yet today we have witnessed the Kenya National Police Service turn its guns and batons on the citizens it exists to protect,” he added.
“Peaceful marchers have been met with an excessive deployment of police officers, roadblocks, and the deliberate closure of major roads, effectively curtailing the constitutional freedoms of movement, assembly, and peaceful protest.”
