RE-VISITING KENYA’s RECENT PROTEST, THE PERSPECTIVE OF A GHANAIAN ACTIVIST
Folks, as an activist in Ghana, I cannot let this important moment slip by without taking the opportunity to highlight the Kenyan story and its geopolitical impact on the Continent.
But first let me use this opportunity to congratulate the young people of Kenya who defied every known impediment put in their way to express themselves in the clearest voice yet and to let them know that the statement they made with this protest, resonate very well with many of us on the Continent and we thank them for showing all of us how it is done.
We thank them for letting us know that the will of the people is mightier than any illusionary State power that intoxicates the very people who are elected to serve us to now Lord over us in such a grotesque manner as if they are doing us a favor by occupying the offices they occupy and enjoying all the largesse that comes with it at our behest.
Let me also pay particular tribute to the gallant youngsters who paid the ultimate price on behalf of the people of Kenya and for demonstrating that we disarm the oppressor when we lose our fears.
They are the heroes who we shall never forget and their memories would be on the right side of history.
One day when the story of the Continent is told, just like a Arab spring sparked an Arab revolution through the Arab States, their sacrifice in Kenya has lit a flame in the heart of the many young people on the Continent and we shall honor them by standing up to oppressive tendencies of the African tyrants clothed in democratic beddings and we shall prevail.
But Perhaps the unsung heroes in this Kenyan Protest is the Judiciary. We cannot help but single them out for praise.
The role of the Supreme Court of Kenya and the entire Judiciary for being unrelenting in the uphold of the Constitutional rights of Kenyans and for calling the Government out on clear violations of the rights of Citizens cannot go unrecognized.
The Kenyan Supreme Court in a swift manner declared as unconstitutional the use of brute force by the Kenyan Security Forces against peaceful protesters.
Not only that the President of the Kenyan Supreme Court or the Chief Justice then issued a statement condemning the unlawful abduction and detention of protesters.
The Law Society of Kenya, which is the Bar Association of Kenya never relented in securing the necessary processes that prevented the government from using further force against the protesters.
As an activist in a Country where the Supreme Court lurks at every opportunity to rather prevent Citizens from exercising their constitutional rights to protest I can only salute the Kenyan Chief Justice.
As an activist in a Country where the Judiciary instead of being the last resort for powerless citizens has rather become a tyrannical defender of the oppressors and the Court processes aimed at upholding the rights of Citizens sadly weaponized to the very least curtail the rights of Citizens sometimes with bizarre consequences then I cannot help but drool over the standing of the Kenyan Supreme Court in the entire struggle.
As an activist in a Country where the bar association is a ball-less political club who cannot even call out an Attorney General for violating all the ethics of the profession, by maliciously violating the rights of accused persons in a devious manner and attempting to acquire a wrongful conviction against an innocent person to serve a political purpose, I can only salute the Kenyan Bar Association for their standi!!
This is a real Supreme Court, one that upholds the interest of the vulnerable in Society, one that would always choose the side of the people against an oppressive regime.
This is a real bar association, one that is actively protecting the principles of rule of law and the rights of vulnerable citizens.
The illustrious examples the Kenyan situation has set for us as Ghanaian Activists are particularly endless and in the coming days, the Ghanaian youth would have an opportunity to demonstrate his repulsion at this 7 year old repressive regime that has left more than half of the Citizens of this Country poorer and jobless with endless taxes and reckless expenditures, one that halved the quality of life of the ordinary Ghanaians with defeatist policies, one that has destroyed critical state institutions including the judiciary with acute politicization, one that has eroded the all the gains in the fight against corruption, one that has abused every power of State and perpetuated the worst kleptocratic regime ever in the history of this Country.
Trust me, the Ghanaian youth in the coming days will show the Kenyans that we are poineers at this, we were the first Country in the sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence for a reason, we only slept off our tracks a bit but
we are thankful to them for such a perfect inspiration at a perfect time.
Challenge Accepted!!!
Mensah Thompson
Executive Director ASEPA
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