By Rev. Dennis Nthumbi
Under the Prevention of Terrorism Act terrorism is defined as follows; Terrorism in Kenya can be defined as the unlawful use of violence or threat of use of violence, with intent to advance a political, religious, ideological or other such cause, and includes any unlawful use of violence or threat of use of violence with intent to put public or a section of the public in fear.
The mobilization of youth into killing, maiming, damaging and looting of property with the intent of advancing a political cause is radicalization into domestic terrorism.
The Public order act section 5a seeks to regulate public meetings and processions by providing for the need to notify the police of any such meetings. The police also have the obligation to stop any public meetings or processions where they don’t meet constitutional objectives.
When National security, public safety, public order, public health (including and not limited to mental health and national psyche), public morals ( including and not limited to civility, respect & value for life and property), and protections of the freedoms and rights are violated by any Kenyan group then those acts are dubbed as domestic terrorism acts.
The act of terror politically is also known as insurrection.
There’s no cause big enough to upset the above things that I have mentioned. That is why we have the courts. The finance bill is in court. We must trust the courts. Dialogue is in parliament through the Bi partisan talks. We must trust that process, cost of living is with the farmers. We must trust them to produce adequate foods to satisfy our stomachs through the key interventions that the central and county governments have put in place. On IEBC we must trust the constitutional selection process in place to take play. Every matter in Kenya has a constitutional pipeline and there’s no room for riots or domestic terrorism.
The The Criminal Procedure Code spells out how the police and all law enforce agencies must deal with all law breakers.
- The protesters must not carry any weapons either for defense or for protection.
- They must promote peace
- They must not loot
- They must not promote aggression
- They must not hinder others to study, worship, love, carry out business, buy, sell, right to own property et al
- They must protect the rights and liberties of others
- They must not destroy infrastructure or goods owned by others
- They must protect the right to life of all including that of police officers
- They must obey police orders and respect the right for police to protect themselves from any fatal injuries or aggression
- They must pray before they start their demonstrations so that the peace of God that surpasses every understanding can engulf them.
Your rights end where mine begin. Respect and peace are paramount ethics that we must all carry.
If Raila wants a job let him apply through PSC. We are not short of laws and neither are we short of lawbreakers who imagine that they are above the law. It is time to live out the constitution. Enforcement.
Rev Dennis Nthumbi is a Security & Governance Expert
