Demonstration Bill sparks fears

The government could soon have sweeping powers over protests, including deciding when and where they can happen, under a new law spearheaded by Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku.

The proposed Assemblies and Demonstrations Bill 2024 seeks to bar protests on highways and other public spaces, claiming they disrupt public order.

If passed, it will grant the Interior Cabinet Secretary authority to set strict rules on how demonstrations are conducted.

Political leaders and activists warn that the Bill coming at the time the State was said to be running a killer squad is part of the attempts to stifle the right to protest and silence government critics.

The new Bill creates an office of the regulating officer and also hands the regulating officers the power to collect details of the demonstrators, impose conditions, reschedule, or even deny protests, effectively criminalising public dissent.