Deputy President William Ruto has condemned the arrest of senators amid the county revenue sharing formula impasse.
In a hard-hitting message on Tuesday, Ruto stated that abuse of police, intimidation and blackmail of leaders by top government officials should stop.
The second in command said that a 12-member committee formed yesterday by the Senate to help in solving the problem at hand is a big stride in achieving a win-win formula that will not hurt any county.
“The bipartisan Senate Committee to build WIN-WIN consensus is great wisdom and leadership.The abuse of police&criminal justice to bully citizens,threaten and intimidate leaders and now blackmail senate is WRONG. VERY WRONG. It’s NOT the reason millions woke up early to vote for us, “Ruto tweeted.
The bipartisan Senate Committee to build WIN-WIN consensus is great wisdom and leadership.The abuse of police&criminal justice to bully citizens,threaten & intimidate leaders and now blackmail senate is WRONG.VERY WRONG. It's NOT the reason millions woke up early to vote for us
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) August 18, 2020
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, ODM leader Raila Odinga also weighed in on the matter saying that the arrest of the three senators yesterday shows that the struggle for democracy in the country is far from over.
“The events surrounding the arrest of senators yesterday, just like the acrimonious stalemate that has seen the Senate disagree a record nine times on sharing of revenue among counties stand as stark reminders that our struggle for a democratic state is far from finished,” Raila.
The former Prime Minister said that public good and integrity is missing in the revenue debate.
According to Odinga, the Revenue Sharing debate should not be used as a contest between security organs and legislators.
The senators who were arrested yesterday as the house debated on the revenue sharing formula include Cleophas Malala (Kakamega), Steve Lelegwe (Samburu) and Dr Christopher Langat (Bomet).
Lelegwe and Langat were released on Monday evening after recording statements with the police in their home counties.
Read Also: Senator Malala Freed After Early Morning Protests
Police released Malala on Tuesday morning after protests by Kakamega residents. The senator was freed unconditionally as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) reportedly dropped all charges against him.
The President Uhuru Kenyatta-led government has been accused of intimidating senators opposed to the population-driven formula fronted by the state.
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