President William Ruto's recent remarks ordering police to shoot protesters in the legs has elicited sharp warnings from lawyers, activists and oversight officials who argue the directive risks pushing Kenya towards collapse.
Ruto on Wednesday, July 9, told police to shoot protesters vandalising businesses in the legs, days after 31 people were killed in nationwide demonstrations. "They shouldn't kill them, but they should shoot their legs so they break and they can go to the hospital on their way to court," Ruto remarked in Nairobi.
Ndegwa Njiru, Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, argued the president's remarks betray Kenya's progressive constitution, which created institutions to resolve disputes without violence. "The police should be independent from the state.
We need to live within the constitution, but if the government orders shootings during protests, it shows fear of its own citizens," Njiru noted.
