Muslims critisize Azimio for planning demos on Friday

By Peter Ochieng

Azimio leadership has come under sharp criticism from Muslims over planned demonstrations on Friday.

The Azimio brigade has planned protests for three straight days, from Wednesday to Friday this week.

However, Muslim leaders are of the opinion that demos on Friday will prevent faithful from accessing mosques for worship.

Hassan Ole Naado, national chairman, Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) on Monday said protests on a Friday is a bad idea.

“We as Muslim leaders are saddened by the proposal that demonstrations be held on Friday, because Friday is a day to worship. Our experience from last Wednesday was that our mosques had very few people, because they could not go to places of worship due to insecurity,” said Ole Naado.

He spoke even as legislatures aligned to the Azimio formation insisted that the demos are on for three days, as planned.

The law makers, speaking at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation led by National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi, stated that they will not cower from exercising their constitutional mandate of holding peaceful protests.

"The peaceful protests planned for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week are on as earlier declared by our leaders,” said the Ugunja MP.

He added that no one, not even President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gcahagua, have the powers to stop them from peaceful protests.

“These protests will go on in line with Article 37 of our Constitution which provides for freedom of peaceful assembly and picketing and no authority has got the power to suspend the operations of Article 37, no person, authority, agency, not William Ruto, Kithure Kindiki, not Rigathi Gachagua.”

"No person and anybody purporting to stop demonstrations is deluding themselves because they have no power,” he added.

Additionally, Wandayi said the signature collection drive aimed at discrediting president Ruto’s rule is progressing well.