Editor's Review

"No peaceful protest, particularly one focused on an ongoing national economic conversation, should be disrupted."

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei has chastised the police officers for arresting anti-finance bill 2023 protestors in Nairobi.

In a statement via Twitter on Tuesday, June 6, Sing’Oei stated that the police should not arrest or disrupt Kenyans taking part in peaceful demonstrations over the controversial Finance Bill 2023.

“While I do not have the full context under which the arrests were made, I hold the view that no peaceful protest, particularly one focused on an ongoing national economic conversation, should be disrupted nor should any arrests be carried out,” he stated.

This comes after a section of Anti-finance bill protestors were arrested on Tuesday while marching towards the Parliament buildings.

File image of Kenyans protesting against the Finance Bill

In a video seen by nairobileo.co.ke, some of the protestors were arguing with police officers as they were pushed into police cars.

Activist Boniface Mwangi in a statement accused President Ruto of sending police officers to arrest the protestors who were opposing the Finance Bill 2023.

“Sending police to arrest peaceful protesters for exercising their right to be heard is dictatorial behavior,” he stated.

The Finance Bill 2023 has received a backlash with a number of Kenyans and the politicians allied to the Azimio la Umoja coalition expressing their disagreement with some of the tax measures proposed in the bill.