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| Police patrol outside parliament. Photo: Nation Media |
Kenya News -- Hundreds of police officers were deployed outside parliament and nearby streets following fears that protests could occur in a bid to stop the debate on the controversial security bill. The intimidating police officers in full riot gear were already at Parliament Road and Harambee Avenue by 6am Thursday. However, there presence did not deter chaos from breaking out inside parliament.
Kenya has experienced a wave attacks blamed on Alshabaab, the terrorist group based in Somalia. In the past weeks the government has been blamed for violating the rights of citizens in its attempt to curb rising insecurity. This has particularly occurred in Nairobi, Coast, and North Eastern.
The proposed amendments were intended to give the president and spy agencies more powers. The opposition and rights groups have opposed the bill, terming it “Draconian”, and protests had been planned outside parliament to oppose the bill. Some of the controversial elements that sparked chaos include:
- The right for police to detain terror suspects for up to a year
- Empowering intelligence agencies to tap communications without consent
- The requirement for journalists to obtain permission from police for conducting investigations or publishing stories relating to security and terrorism.
Chaos in Parliament
Opposition members of parliament tore copies of the bill, shouting that Kenya was now becoming a police state. Officials were forced to adjourn the debate twice as opposition and pro-government lawmakers engaged in fist fights. Two opposition MPs threw water to the Deputy Speaker, Joyce Laboso, after she ordered them out of the house.
Opposition MPs had vowed to scuttle the process unless they be provided with more time to scrutinize the document. Previous incidences of rivalry between the two camps are widely reported in Kenya News.
The government has faced challenges while dealing with terror suspects as they law forbids it from withholding the suspects for long, unless a reason is provided and the detention approved by the courts.
Publishing of graphic images after terror incidents has caused anxiety and fear in the public to the point of triggering protests like it was witnessed recently. It’s on the two accounts, that the government thought the bill was necessary for the country’s security needs.
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