Karua threatens to move to international courts to demand justice for anti-gov't protesters

Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua has threatened to move to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and the UN Commission for Human Rights to sue the government for alleged human rights abuses.

Karua says arbitrary arrests, abductions, and killings propagated by the police during the anti-government protests in Kenya must not go unpunished.

In a statement dubbed ‘Lest We Forget’, Karua termed the recent clampdown on protesters by the government as illegal.

She says arbitrary arrests, disobedience of court orders, and the lack of accountability witnessed in the country must be challenged and vowed to file a petition against the government on the continental and global stage.

Karua criticized the conduct of the Kenya Kwanza government in dealing with dissent, stating that President William Ruto has employed fear as a tool, intimidation as a strategy, and the suppression of dissent as an official policy to handle opposition.

“We will submit this statement and more details as a formal complaint to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the UN Human Rights Commission, and other relevant organizations… Kenya is obligated to uphold the rights contained therein,” Karua noted.

Karua also called for an end to the arbitrary arrests being made by the police and the long list of disappearances that continue to occur.

“KNCHR says over 50 people have been missing since June 25th. Where are they or are they dead… We refuse to remain silent; remaining silent would make us accomplices to the betrayal,” she added.

The former Azimio running mate in the 2022 General Election also criticized the government's disobedience of court orders, including the use of lethal force during demonstrations, despite an active court order barring such actions.

Hinting at a possible return of street protests on the 27th of this month to mark 14 years since the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, Karua warned that the law must be followed by the authorities in handling the protests.

 “As we approach the 14th anniversary of the promulgation of our Constitution on August 27th, we must reflect on how far we have strayed from its promise,” noted Karua.

A fresh round of Gen Z protests has reportedly been planned for next Tuesday to mark the date.