Ambassadors, High Commissioners in Kenya offer to mediate Ruto-Raila dialogue

Ambassadors and High Commissioners in Kenya have expressed concern over violence and the destruction of property witnessed during the recent anti-government demonstrations called by the opposition.

In a joint statement issued Tuesday, envoys of 13 countries; Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States, called for dialogue between President William Ruto’s administration and the Raila Odinga-led opposition to resolve their differences peacefully.

“We are saddened by the loss of life and concerned by high levels of violence, including the use of live rounds and the destruction of property, during the recent demonstrations,” reads the statement.

“We recognise the daily hardship faced by many Kenyans and urge all parties to table their concerns through a meaningful dialogue and resolve their differences peacefully to build the nation together, ensuring no further loss of life.”

The envoys expressed readiness to mediate the government and the opposition, noting, “We stand ready to support the parties in their efforts to find constructive and peaceful solutions.”

The opposition called the anti-government protests to picket against the high cost of living.

They are set to resume Wednesday for three days straight and have also attracted the attention of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) which Friday urged local authorities to refrain from using deadly force when quelling the demonstrations and called for speedy investigations into the reported deaths and injuries.

Kenya responded to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva over the OHCHR’s statement, saying Sunday that the protest was wrongly portrayed and misinformed.

"While the Permanent Mission shares the OHCHR's concern for human rights, it is obliged to contest the characterization of recent events in Kenya as 'peaceful protests'. Such a designation belies the widely and credibly documented ground reality," read the statement shared by Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing'oei.

The Permanent Mission insisted that there is a difference between the right to peaceful assembly and the acts of destructive rioting that occurred in Kenya in the last week. 

In the meantime, President Ruto has vowed he will not allow more protests in the country, accusing his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta of supporting Odinga in orchestrating the chaos.

But the opposition has maintained that the protests are on despite what they describe as intimidation by the government through the police.