Kindiki alleges coup plot, warns protest organizers will be treated as terrorists

There is a calculated scheme by some forces to overthrow President William Ruto's government, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has claimed.

The DP who spoke on Friday at Kanyangi in Kitui County during a women empowerment event warned that future violent demonstrators and their masterminds would be treated as terrorists and punished without mercy.

"No one has a right to orchestrate a coup against the government. We shall deal with you the way we deal with Al-Shabaab,” he warned.

Referring to Wednesday’s deadly protests that left 15 people dead, the DP praised security officers for swiftly crushing what he termed as an attempted coup.

"Our officers did a good job in quelling the violence. When you see people torching police stations, stealing guns and ammunition, that is not a protest, it is a coup,” he declared.

Kindiki also warned that the State would move in to arrest top opposition figures behind violent unrest. He said intelligence reports had linked certain political leaders and foreign diplomats to plans aimed at brewing chaos and destabilizing the country.

• .

  Keep Reading

• 
  Grief and outrage in Matuu as families demand justice for police shooting victims
• 
  Tone-deaf President draws backlash over out of touch remark on demos
• 
  Police, Quickmart dismiss claims of bodies hidden after Gen Z protests
• 
  State's approach to demos will only fuel public anger

"We have information that someone is brewing trouble. We will go for them before they come out. We will come for you in the house—no one is bigger than Kenya,” he said.

And to show that the government was serious on crushing dissidents, the DP stated that Ruto’s administration was ready to risk political popularity to safeguard peace and and stability of the country.

"We are willing to become unpopular politically to save the stability and peace of this country. We are ready to pay that price,” he stated. 

Turning his guns on the diplomatic community, Kindiki accused foreign envoys of hypocrisy and interference

"They are pretending to know too much about us, yet in their countries terrorism is treated seriously. What they are supporting in the name of democracy is akin to terrorism,” he said.

He was flanked by Livestock Principal Secretary  Jonathan Mueke and MPs Kimani Ichung’wah (Kikuyu), Vincent Musyoka (Mwala) and Rachael Nyamai