Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has refuted claims that he has been funding the ongoing anti-government protests.
Uhuru who spoke Friday for the first time since the allegations were made, says he has every right to talk to Raila Odinga who is his friend and that should not be associated with the demonstrations.
At the same time, Kenyatta challenged the authorities to cease targeting his entire family and instead confront him directly.
“Why intimidate a 90-year-old woman or children? If it is me you want come for me and tell us what you want” he posed.
“Is my association with Raila a crime? Am I not supposed to talk to my friends? I thought the only crime was to associate with terrorists or bank robbers or are they terrorists? he asked.
Kenyatta further argued the government to instead focus on addressing issues raised in the protests saying that is what he did while in government.
“Maybe silence sometimes is not right…I ask myself how? The issues that Kenyans are talking about have nothing to do with me. Have you seen me at any of those events?
The former President was reacting to the alleged raid of his eldest son Jomo’s residence in Karen by Police Officers.
Meanwhile, Interior Cabinet Secretary Professor Kithure Kindiki has warned Kenyans against politicizing or sensationalizing operations targeting firearms illegally in the hands of civilians.
In a statement, professor Kindiki politicising or sensationalizing the search will not deter law enforcement agencies from their mandates of ensuring that the country remains safe and stable.
He pointed out that the law allowed the security officials to conduct the operation. In the ongoing operation professor Kindiki has said 23 firearms were recovered from three homes in Karen, Nairobi, in an operation conducted Friday night.
“Today’s operation is part of a broader operation targeting scores of firearm holders who are reasonably suspected to be availing firearms not only for purposes of supporting violent protests but also other illegal activities,” he said.
The CS said the operation will continue to recover all guns from persons suspected of having availed them to violent protesters and to other persons for other illegal activities. Kindiki assured that the exercise will strictly be of a security nature, dismissing any notion that is politically related.
“The operation will proceed to cover civilian firearm holders in Nairobi and other parts of the Country, who may be using the weapons in their possession to jeopardize our national security. The operation is purely of a security nature and neither its politicization or sensationalisation will deter law enforcement agencies from ensuring that the Country remains safe and stable” said Kindiki.
