Raila backs protests by students

Prime Minister Raila Odinga at a press conference after meeting human rights groups in his office on Monday. With him is Mr Hassan Omar, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Vice-chairman Photo/DENNIS OKEYO

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Monday supported a demonstration called by university students scheduled for Tuesday to protest against the shooting of their colleague by police last week.

Mr Odinga said he had ordered vice-chancellors not to punish those who take part in the protests following complaints by student leaders that they had been threatened with expulsion.

The University of Nairobi and Egerton University students have called the demonstrations to protest against the killing of a University of Nairobi student by riot police.

The student was shot during protests on Thursday night after two human rights activists were killed, execution style, by unknown gunmen.

The activists from Oscar Foundation, Mr Oscar Kamau King’ara and Mr Paul Oulu, were killed on State House Road near the university hostels.

“I am told that some demonstrations are planned and proper notifications have been given and I have therefore given instructions that proper security be provided so that there is no injury at all,” Mr Odinga said.

“The struggle for the second liberation has cost a lot of time and we are not about to reverse the gains we have made so far,” said the PM.

But University of Nairobi vice-chancellor George Magoha said the university would not allow the protests.

“We do not want students to go out because there are no assurances that they will not be joined by other people,” said the VC.

Mr Odinga had also said he had ordered the police to cooperate with the US Federal Bureau of Investigations in hunting down the killers of the two NGO activists who have previously defended Mungiki victims of police torture and brutality.

Government has not formally invited the FBI to help, but Mr Odinga said an offer by US ambassador Michael Ranneberger would be accepted.

He said he had instructed Internal Security minister George Saitoti to ask the police to work with FBI. Police say they have arrested six people in connection with the killings.

“It does not matter how many people the police arrest or arraign in court. The investigation will not stand the credibility test because in the people’s perception, police themselves are accomplices,” said Mr Odinga after meeting activists and NGO officials.

He said freedom of association and assembly were guaranteed in the Constitution and it would be wrong for the government to attempt to interfere with the students’ protests.

The students said at a press conference at the University of Nairobi’s Parklands Campus that the demonstration would go ahead despite instructions by the university’s administration to call it off.

They plan to march from Main Campus to Uhuru Highway, State House Road and Harambee Avenue. Law students plan to hold a separate demonstration in the Parklands area.

Police headquarters

Those from the Kenya Polytechnic could affect activities around Haile Selassie Avenue, the main entry into the city for those using Mombasa Road.

The students plan to march from the university to Vigilance House — the police headquarters — and to Jogoo House, which is the Higher Education ministry’s headquarters.

It is understood that the university’s administration met the student leaders on Sunday and warned them against holding the protests.

“The university administration has told us that it is in consultation with the police to bring the killers to justice, but we don’t support that decision since the police cannot investigate themselves,” said Law Students Society secretary-general Jack Okula.

Police say guns have been taken from three arrested officers to determine who fired the bullet that killed Godwin Ogato, a Bachelor of Arts student.

“Our mandate comes from the students, not the administration. The administration had talked about suspension, but that cannot deter us from holding the protest,” said Students Organisation of Nairobi University chairman Dan Mwangi.

He said that Central Police Station was aware of the protest and they had taken the PM’s statement as a guarantee that there would be no police interference.