The Azimio la Umoja Coalition Government led by Raila Odinga has asked for the immediate release of the party’s leaders and other close associates that have been taken in by the police because of the protests that were being held today.

The nine detained official members are: Embakasi East MP Babu Owino; Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga; Kilifi County Speaker Teddy Mwambire; MCASs Wilfred Odallo and Redson Ochongo; as well as two Budget Officers at the Nairobi County Assembly, namely Erick Otieno and Anthony Otsula.

Martha Karua has condemned such acts and told the government to consider releasing them immediately.

“We condemn in the strongest terms possible the arrests and or abductions of Azimio leaders and close associates without any color of right or the slightest justification.

We demand the immediate release of those detained, noting that their detention is not only malicious but also unlawful. If it were not so, they would have been taken to the nearest court and charged immediately.

She went on to say that the Kenya Kwanza Government displays a desperate move to contain the Azimio’s leaders and wants to break them so that they don’t have the voice to channel out their grievances.

She also said that the police officers who were using excessive force will be put on trial so that they can answer for what they did.

The demonstrations that commenced today and are set to go until Friday, as the coalition leader had said, went on as usual, except that the police officers were trying hard to ensure that public property and private property were not destroyed in the process. Their objectives, or rather, agendas remain the same, the main one being to reduce the high cost of living.