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Opposition Accuses Kenyan Government of Orchestrating Violence and Sabotage During Saba Saba Protests


 NAIROBI, KENYA, July 9, 2025 
 Kenyan opposition figures have issued a blistering condemnation of the government, alleging state-sponsored violence, economic sabotage, and targeted attacks orchestrated during yesterday's Saba Saba protests. The statement expresses profound sympathies for the young people and families who lost loved ones, describing the events witnessed in specific parts of the country as "an atrocity of our lifetime" and "nothing short of a genocide," constituting crimes against humanity. It places direct responsibility for the loss of lives and property on President William Ruto, demanding he be held accountable.

The core accusation is a "well-orchestrated economic sabotage" designed to drive a divisive political narrative and instill fear, particularly among the people of the Mt. Kenya Region and other areas perceived as opposition strongholds. These targeted zones, listed as Kiambu, Naivasha, Nairobi, Murang’a, Nyeri, Embu, Meru, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Ongata Rongai, Ngong, Kiserian, Kisii, Machakos, Wote, and Kitengela, contribute over 66% of the nation's GDP. The opposition claims this points to a deliberate plan of economic purge and sabotage. In contrast, demonstrations in non-opposition zones were reportedly peaceful.

The statement details a disturbing pattern of government involvement. It alleges that Members of Parliament procured and transported criminal gangs ("goons") from non-local areas past midnight into these opposition zones, where they were unknown to locals. Police are accused of mounting roadblocks to facilitate this deployment and then actively supervising or protecting the goons' activities. Specific instances cited include goons dropped in Limuru town at 7 am under police supervision, organized looting and attacks on journalists in Nyeri town, and thugs beating people and looting along Waiyaki Way, Kiambu Road, and Thika Road while police watched. The goons reportedly had clear instructions to damage properties owned by people from the Mt. Kenya region. In one instance, locals in an unnamed location overpowered goons who lit tires on the road as police watched.

A particularly damning allegation involves Buuri MP Mugambi Rindikiri. The opposition states that on Sunday, June 6th, 2025, at a church function in Meru attended by Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen, Rindikiri predicted that supermarkets in Meru would be raided on Monday, July 7th. True to this prediction, Magunas supermarket was raided and torched. The statement demands to know how Rindikiri had prior knowledge if he wasn't involved in planning and questions why he hasn't been arrested or recorded a police statement.

Beyond complicity through inaction, the statement accuses police of direct violence. It claims Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers in unmarked Subaru vehicles shot indiscriminately at people in parts of Nairobi, Kajiado, and Kiambu Counties, even pursuing them into their homes with assault rifles. The opposition demands clarity on the number of Kenyans killed, stating bodies were seen on roads and confirming at least 11 deaths yesterday. Furthermore, it alleges police received instructions not to arrest goons in specific areas at crime scenes, calling this an orchestrated scheme to later arrest innocent Kenyans instead. Several innocent Gen-Zs and opposition leaders, specifically naming Hon. Gitonga Mukunji, DCP National Youth Leader Wanjiku Thiga, and DCP Kiambu Leader Peter Kinyajui Kawanjiru, are reportedly being arraigned on fictitious charges to suppress their right to protest under Article 37 of the Constitution.

Labeling President Ruto's actions as dictatorial, discriminatory, and a violation of the constitution, the opposition warns that yesterday's violence negatively charges the nation ahead of the 2027 polls, suggesting the regime is testing tactics. They assert that Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen and President Ruto will be held personally liable under international and local laws.

Consequently, the statement makes an urgent call to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate President Ruto for crimes against humanity. It also calls for strict international sanctions against Ruto by the international community, citing these alleged crimes and others committed "in other countries including the war in Sudan." The opposition condemns the treatment of young, innocent Kenyans as criminals and calls for genuine freedom where Kenyans can enjoy the fruits of Saba Saba.

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