A section of People With
Disabilities has called on President William Ruto to help calm the rising
political temperatures in the country.
The public
participation forum on the proposed removal from office by the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has received mixed reactions from a cross-section of Kenyans.
While some support the Deputy President’s removal from office, others declared their
unwavering support for the besieged man.
In some parts of the
country, angry residents destroyed public participation forms, with ugly scenes
witnessed at the Bomas of Kenya were activist Morara Kebaso was attacked by
goons.
These incidences have
now worried the PWDs group who say that they do not sit well with the country's
peace and stability.
Speaking to the press
on Saturday, the group led by its North Eastern branch chapter chairman Hafid
Maalim, said that the country’s well-being is dependent on dialogue and
not politics of division.
"As PWDs, we must
categorically state that we are not happy at all with the happenings in our
country. Our members are usually the biggest casualties whenever there is any
form of instability in the country,” he said.
He added:
“We might take these things lightly but truth
be told they can easily degenerate into tension between communities and as we
are all aware ours is a very delicate society. We all remember what we
witnessed during the protests that were led by the Gen Zs,” he said.
Hafid said that if the
reaction witnessed in several parts of the country during the public
participation was anything to go by then Kenyans were not interested in the
impeachment process.
“I want to call on the president to break his silence and bring the ongoing exercise to an end by reconciling with his Deputy. Impeachment or having the DP out of office is not a priority to Kenyans,” he said.
On his part Adan
Bille, the PWD chairman-Garissa chapter said that the country has a lot of
issues that need to be addressed calling on the president to remain
focused on transforming the country.
“Let us stop these
issues that to me are diversionary tactics from the real issues that need to be
addressed. Our economy is still unstable. We have issues with the new
SHA which Kenyans are yet to understand. There was the issue of Adani taking over the airport. But it seems the issues have taken a back seat,” he said.
President Ruto has
maintained a studious silence on the matter since it came out even as religious
leaders called on leaders to stop the impeachment process terming it a
distraction from more pressing issues facing the country.
“This ongoing debate is seen as a distraction from critical issues like corruption, which must be prioritized to ensure the country’s stability. We call for immediate efforts to combat corruption to restore Kenya’s national dignity and foster development,” they said in a statement on Thursday.