President William Ruto on Thursday, July 25, 2024, held a phone conversation with the United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the state of affairs in Kenya.
Secretary Blinken’s spokesperson, Matthew Miller in a statement said that the two leaders discussed the need to protect the voices of Kenyan youth and civil society following the anti-government demonstrations experienced in the past month.
Miller said the Secretary of State urged President Ruto to ensure the security forces in the country are held accountable for their actions. According to the spokesperson, Blinken also reiterated the importance of defending the media.
“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto today. The Secretary underscored the importance of freedoms of assembly and expression as enshrined in Kenyan’s constitution, emphasized the vital role played by youth and civil society organizations in healthy democracies, and urged respect for their contributions to Kenya’s development. The Secretary also underscored that the security forces need to be held accountable,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Secretary Blinken also lauded Ruto for his directive on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate and charge police officers who used excessive force on protestors during the protests.
US Secretary of State Holds Discussion with President Ruto
“The Secretary commended President Ruto for his pledge of accountability for security forces allegedly involved in protest violence or responsible for disappearances and his commitment to direct police to refrain from using violence of any kind against protesters,” the statement adds.
At the same time, the Secretary thanked President Ruto for Kenya’s contributions to the multinational security support mission to Haiti.
Also Read: Details of Ruto’s Call with Antony Blinken After Haiti PM Exit
Blinken reiterated that the United States stands with the Kenyan people as they build a more inclusive and prosperous Kenya.
The call comes after the Kenyan government wrote to American private Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Ford Foundation demanding accountability answers over funding extended to some organizations in Kenya, which the State said it suspects could have had a hand in the latest protests.
The government of Kenya in a demand letter by Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary (PS) Dr. Korir Sing’oei listed 16 NGOs in connection to the protests.
However, the Ford Foundation, defended its funding criteria to the organizations while maintaining its stand against anarchy.
The Foundation reiterated that while it supports the right of Kenyans to peacefully advocate for a just and equitable country, they don’t support any acts that advocate violence.
Media Freedom
Also, Blinken’s remarks on media freedom came after dozens of Kenyan journalists marched in Nairobi on Wednesday in protest against what they see as heavy-handed government tactics to stifle media freedoms.
While holding placards with different messages such as “Journalists lives matter”, “Shoot not the messenger” and “End the brutality”, the journalist staged rallies across several towns and cities.
Also Read: Govt to Support Businesses Looted During Protests
The conversation between Ruto and Blinken comes barely a month after the two held another discussion via phone call concerning the progress of President Ruto’s efforts to engage in dialogue with the anti-finance bill protesters.
In their conversation which came following the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024, Blinken hailed Ruto for his efforts to reduce tension in the country in the wake of the then on-going anti-finance bill protests.
The US Secretary of State further emphasized on the need for law enforcement officers to avoid violence during legal protests.
“There is need for security forces to exercise restraint and avoid violence, urging prompt investigations into human rights abuse allegations,” emphasized Blinken.
Additionally, he termed President William Ruto as a committed leader who upholds Kenyans’ constitutional rights, among them being peaceful assembly and due process for those detained during protests.
Ruto Orders for release of innocent protesters
President Ruto has since ordered the release of all protesters who were arrested during the anti-government protests but were not found culpable for committing any crimes.
Ruto was speaking at State House Nairobi on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, during a State of the Nation address when he ordered the security agencies to comply with the directive.
According to Ruto, all people who may have been caught on the wrong sides of the law with no criminal acts will be released and charges against them withdrawn.
The President instructed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to drop all charges against those detained during the protests.
I urge the criminal justice agencies to take effective measures and ensure that people who may have been innocently caught in the wrong side of things be released and charges against them withdrawn,” Ruto said.
According to the Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC), at least 60 people have died as a result of the protests with another 66 persons reported as missing.
Human rights organizations have accused the police of killing innocent Kenyans who are in the streets calling for a better service from the government.
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