• Raila and those who believe in his cause have cited a litany of reasons behind the call for street action against President William Ruto.
• They accuse the government of nepotism, electoral deceit, overtaxation and inability to lower the cost of living amid rising food prices.
Image: RAILA ODINGA/TWITTER
The mention of mass action brings to mind the Arab Spring, a series of anti-government protests and sustained street demonstrations that spread across much of the Arab world a decade ago.
The revolt began in Tunisia on December 17, 2010, when a young street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, ignited the revolt by setting himself ablaze to protest police harassment.
The uprising spread to five other Arab countries and by the end of the rebellion in December 2012, Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Muammar Gaddafi (Libya), Hosni Mubarak (Egypt) and Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen had been ousted.
Human rights abuses, poverty, unemployment, dictatorship and corruption topped the list of grievances leading to a change in leadership as regimes were held accountable even though conflicts still persist in countries like Syria.
Without drawing parallels with the Arab Spring in terms of scale, mass action is upon us in Kenya courtesy of a declaration by Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leader Raila Odinga. Monday, March 20 is the D day.
Raila and those who believe in his cause have cited a litany of reasons behind the call for street action against President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government which they have termed as illegitimate.
They accuse the government of nepotism, electoral deceit, taxation and inability to lower the cost of living amid rising food prices.
“We begin telling Ruto and Gachagua that we have no more patience with an illegitimate regime that is too mean-spirited and too incompetent to deploy resources for an all-out war on poverty and suffering,” Raila said.
The Opposition chief has largely convinced a young generation of his supporters that it’s a fight to secure a more democratic political system and a brighter economic future for themselves.
“We will be with you to the bitter end. It is action time, let us all come out, wherever we are to make our voices heard and respected,” he said.
Mass action is typically nonviolent and Raila has made this clear to his supporters saying the defiance will be in form of peaceful picketing, protests, boycotts, strikes, petitions, disobedience and sit-ins.
But like the Arab Spring, potential violence and possible arrests cannot be ruled out.
Protests are public demonstrations in which people voice their grievances and demand change. They can be peaceful or violent and they often involve marches, speeches, and chanting.
Rallies are similar to protests, but they tend to be more positive and upbeat. They’re often used to show support for a cause or candidate, and they usually involve music, placards and cheers.
Sit-ins are a type of protest in which participants occupy a space to demonstrate their commitment to a cause. Sit-ins can be disruptive, but they’re usually nonviolent.
An 18-day sit-in at Tahrir Square in Egypt during the Arab Spring largely led to Hosni Mubarak’s fall.
The best way to handle a mass action is to ensure that all participants are aware of the goals of the action and are committed to working together to achieve these goals.
It is also important to have a clear plan of action and timeline so that everyone knows what needs to be done and when it needs to be done.
This includes everything from planning the route or providing materials like banners to arranging for food and water for participants.
This approach should equally be adopted by security personnel to avert any possible violent confrontation as mass actions are potentially disruptive.
It is also important to have a contingency plan in case something goes wrong. Police and organizers should have a plan for handling any potential violence or property damage and participants should know what to do in case they are arrested.
President Ruto on Wednesday spoke sternly in response to the impending mass protests saying Raila will not be allowed to continue holding the country at ransom.
"We must tell my good friend Raila Odinga enough is enough. You cannot continue to blackmail the country," he said.
The President said the government will not interfere will his protests provided he ensures that the lives and property of Kenyans are not endangered.
"We have no problem with you organising demonstrations but please it is your responsibility to work with the police to make sure that the rest of the citizens of Kenya, their lives are not disrupted, their property is not destroyed, and their business is not affected and they can go to work (then) you can carry out your demonstrations," Ruto said.