EDITORIAL: Anti-protest Bill is bad for Kenya’s democracy

The controversial and undemocratic Assembly and Demonstrations Bill 2024 has been roundly rejected in the National Assembly.

Our constitution, celebrated the world over for its protection of human rights, guarantees every citizen the right to assemble peacefully, demonstrate, picket and to present petitions and appeals to public authorities.

The Bill had in effect purported to curtail the enjoyment of rights normally considered a prerequisite to a functioning democracy in which the elected representatives are accountable to the citizens.

Attempts by the government to abrogate our democratic rights have happily been blocked by a set of forward-thinking MPs.

One of the provisions of the dead Bill was that no one would be allowed to wear a mask during a demonstration, in essence create fear among either those planning a demo or participants.

Supporters of the Bill convinced themselves that clamping down on individual freedoms should cure violence that breaks out in the course of a demonstration; in our case almost always engineered by goons unleashed by state actors.

But Kenya has a large body of police officers well equipped and trained to make sure miscreants keen to create chaos and destroy property during a demonstration are arrested and charged.

The right to assemble and demonstrate has become the lifeblood of our democracy and ought to be encouraged rather than discouraged.

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Quote of the day: “I am convinced that the moment is coming when, with its messQuote of the day: “I am convinced that the moment is coming when, with its message of eternal, universal values, it will come to the aid of our society.”—Russian politician and statesman died on April 23, 2007.