‘You cannot cage a hungry lion, people are tired': Senator Ledama, Malala clash over Azimio demos

Narok County Senator Ledama Ole Kina and UDA Party Secretary General Cleophas Malala have strongly differed over the post-Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition demonstrations.

Citing the violent protests witnessed across the country where nine people lost their lives and many others were severely injured, the two leaders disagreed on the manner in which the police handled the rioters and how the protests could have been avoided.

Speaking on Citizen TV’s JKLive Show on Wednesday night, Senator Ledama chastised the government over employing unnecessary force on ‘unarmed’ civilians whom he said were acting within their Constitutional rights in fighting for the reduction in the cost of living.

Ledama accused the state of hiring goons to destroy property and also blamed the police for the deaths arguing that if they had not provoked citizens, no violence would have been witnessed.

“Nine Kenyans who were killed by UDA goons who were masquerading as police officers and we know that the Kenyan police officers are people of honor, but there are goons,” he said.

“We saw Ruto and Gachagua sending warning saying they would use any means in the book… Kenyans are tired, and that is why they went to the streets to demonstrate peacefully but they were provoked by goons hired by the regime.”

The Senator distanced the Opposition and the Azimio Chief Raila Odinga from blame in the protests asserting that Odinga was not part of the protests but Kenyans protested because they were tired of the President William Ruto-led regime.

He referred to the maandamano witnessed in over five major towns and counties in the nation underscoring that protestors were not to blame since they were willing to pay the price for a change in governance.

“The position taken by this administration should get every Kenyan worried. This is not about Azimio anymore; Raila did not go to the streets today…You cannot cage a hungry lion, it will come out there and try to defend itself. People are tired, people are hungry, and they are desperate,” he explained.

Malala however refuted Ledama’s sentiments as he slammed the Azimio leadership and its supporters for the immense destruction of property and loss of life witnessed on Wednesday.

According to Malala, demonstrations by Azimio only served to increase the cost of living since the destruction of properties would require more resources to rebuild.

“The constitution envisaged that we shall have an opposition and a government but that does not qualify violence, that does not qualify people losing their lives,” he said.

“After today’s demonstration, has the cost of living gone down? The same people who are trying to sabotage our economy are causing the cost of living to go up.”

At the same time, the former Malala appealed to Ledama and the Azimio team to consider other means of solving the challenges affecting citizens such as through the by-partisan talks.

In his rejoinder, Ledama scoffed at the UDA Secretary General’s remarks reiterating that the ruling party had been consistently frustrating the talks and was now pissing Kenyans off with unfulfilled promises and increasing the cost of living by implementing the Finance Act.

“You increase fuel levy, the court says suspend that Act, but you think you are above the law and you continue implementing it and everything goes up,” he said.

“What is making Kenyans tired is the dysfunctional government. It has not been able to demystify between a private good, public good and merit good. A private good is housing; Who told you a private good ought to be interfered with? If a bird can build its own house, you think Kenyans cannot?”