The Azimio La Umoja team has suspended the Wednesday scheduled protest, according to the press statement seen by K47 digital news.
Azimio, in a statement, says since the last violent break up of their peaceful protests by Police and goons, Azimio la Umoja has taken time to get as complete a picture as possible of the pain inflicted on protesters.
While the exercise is incomplete and remains ongoing, Azimio noted that a clear picture has emerged of massive casualties.
“So far, we have at least 50 deaths and hundreds admitted in hospitals with grave injuries.” Azimio said.
Many hospitals are reported to have been instructed not to disclose the number of casualties or deaths or even admit victims of police brutality.
Many are therefore nursing their injuries at home while others are said to have had their death go unrecorded.
Many families are reported to be struggling with bills as a result of the brutal police assault on members.
“It is clear we are dealing with an unprecedented phenomenon of police brutality and of the State resorting to armed militia to quell protests.”
“We have visited hospitals and morgues and we have established that police and hired gangs shot and killed or wounded scores of people at close range.”
According to Azimio, some have been shot on the back as they were fleeing or at a position of surrender.
The shots are reported to have been aimed at the vital organs and delicate parts of the victims like the abdomen, the spine, the chest and the head.
All the victims are said to have been unarmed. “We have reason to believe that at the end of this exercise of collecting data, the number of the dead will be in their hundreds and the injured in their thousands.”
In light of the above, Azimio says it has made the decision that on Wednesday, 26th July 2023, they will hold a different kind of protest.
The peaceful protests will take the form of solidarity parades and vigil for victims of police brutality in various locations in all parts of the country.
“We are calling on Kenyans to come out, light candles and lay flowers, preferably white, in remembrance of and respect for the victims.”
On that day, Azimio says they will also roll out the process of reaching out to the families of the victims with a view to offering any assistance that can lessen their burden.
During the vigils, candle lighting and laying of flowers, we encourage Kenyans to say prayers and read out the names of victims.
“We shall provide the list of the victims in time for the exercise. We ask Kenyans to pray also that the International Criminal Court takes up the matter based on an expanded list of perpetrators that we intend to furnish the court with in due course. This struggle will continue.”
