Kenya’s National Assembly has approved the deployment of the army following the failure of police forces to contain the escalating #RejectFinanceBill2024 protests in Nairobi and other parts of the country.
While parliamentary proceedings are traditionally televised and streamed on the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation’s TV, this was not.
Earlier today, it was reported that Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah was set to move the motion for military deployment.
Analysts suggest that the parliamentary approval was primarily a formality to legitimize the directive issued by Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale the previous day.
In a Kenya Gazette notice, Duale stated, “Under Article 241 (3) (b) of the Constitution of Kenya as read with sections 31 (1) (a), 31 (1) (c), 33 (1), 34 (1), and 34 (2) of the Kenya Defence Forces Act, (Cap. 199), the Kenya Defence Forces is deployed on the 25th June, 2024 in support of the National Police Service.”
“This is in response to the security emergency caused by the ongoing violent protests in various parts of the Republic of Kenya, resulting in destruction and breaching of critical infrastructure,” the notice added.
The National Assembly is now adjourned to 23rd July, 2024.
