Kenyan leader orders release of all wrongfully arrested protesters

Nairobi: Kenyan President William Ruto on Wednesday directed the country's justice system to release all protesters who were wrongfully arrested during the month-long anti-government protests across the country.

The president also ordered that all charges against the Gen-Z protesters who had been demanding accountability in his government be dropped.

"I urge the criminal justice agencies to take effective measures and ensure that people who may have innocently caught up on the wrong side of things and those not implicated in crime be released and charges against them withdrawn," Ruto told a news conference in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

He said the release of the protesters will enable the agencies to focus their resources, efforts and time on investigating and prosecuting serious criminal elements who took advantage of peaceful demonstrations to advance a dangerous agenda.

"It is important that these suspects are brought to book, and that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," the president said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ruto stressed that it is imperative that the nation operates within the confines of the law and innocent protesters should not remain apprehended. He also criticised police officers' use of vicious force against protesters, calling for an immediate investigation into those responsible for the witnessed killings.

"All breaches and violations by police officers must be handled expeditiously through due process, with a view to giving Kenyans a police service that upholds the highest standards of integrity," he said.

The police have been accused of killing more than 50 people during the month-long demonstrations, with rights groups accusing officers of using excessive force on unarmed Gen-Z protesters who had been demanding accountability in government, saying there is a lot of opulence and wastage in government spending.

Ruto said police were under firm instructions to expedite investigations into the killings and bring those responsible to book, adding that it's the responsibility of security agencies to protect the lives of Kenyans and their property.

The president also said that he will amend the evidence and witness protection acts to accelerate efforts to combat corruption.

"I will be proposing amendments to the evidence act and the criminal procedure code, among other necessary legislative amendments, to all statutes relating to corruption to expedite investigations and prosecution of corruption cases and provide for their conclusion within six months," Ruto said.

He said that measures will also be taken to provide an open and transparent public procurement platform which gives open, real-time and end-to-end public visibility of public procurement, from advertisement to award of contract.

Also on Wednesday, journalists marched across the country to protest a surge of violence against the media.

"We demand immediate action on accountability for illegal shootings, beatings, abductions and harassment of journalists in the last few weeks and the prosecution of rogue police officers including the one who shot our journalist in Nakuru," said Seth Olale, a Nairobi journalist, referring to K24 reporter Catherine Wanjeri.

Kenya Editors Guild President Zubeida Kananu said they want action taken against police officers who have injured journalists.