President William Ruto has defended his decision to deploy the military during anti-fiscal bill protests in June 2024, claiming the situation could have escalated further without the military’s intervention. .
In an interview with CNN on Thursday night, Ruto said Kenya is a vibrant democracy and protests are a legitimate form of expression.
“For your information, Kenya is a strong democracy and protests are part of democracy. People have the freedom to organize and make their voices heard,” the head of state said.
He added that police had to intervene to restore law and order as criminal elements invaded peaceful protests and violence broke out in several parts of the country.
“In addition to the protests, criminal gangs set fire to Parliament House, the Chief Justice’s office and other facilities in Nairobi. Our security agencies had to respond to bring the situation under control,” Ruto said. Explained.
The President also noted that Kenya has independent oversight bodies such as the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate any instances of police misconduct.
Ruto was responding to a question from Christiane Amanpour about whether he regretted sending security forces against demonstrators protesting against high taxes.
On Kenya’s rising debt and economic stability, Ruto said his administration was working with international partners to secure sustainable financing and address the debt crisis.
“As I speak, inflation has fallen from 9% to 4.3% and the exchange rate is now stable. We are moving forward without undue burden on Kenyans,” he said. ” he said.