Kenya: Campesina League demands the government to protect human rights

Kenyan Farmers, Aug 2024 Photo: @ntvkenya

August 16, 2024 Hour: 8:48 pm

They require that the rights to freedom of thought, opinion and expression be respected.

La Via Campesina and its Kenyan member, the Kenya Peasant League (KPL), issued a statement this Friday to the Government of that African country to protect the rights of peasants, in opposition to the policies of the IMF and other agencies.

The organization demands that it “protect the rights of Kenyans to life, liberty and security as set forth in Article 6 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP)”.

Likewise, they specify that it respects the rights to freedom of thought, opinion and expression, as described in article 8 of UNDROP, and ensures freedom of association, guaranteed by article 9 of the same organization.

“Respect the rights to participation and association, as specified in UNDROP Articles 10 and 11, and safeguard the rights to seeds, as stated in UNDROP Article 19,” KPL reaffirmed.

🇰🇪👨🏿‍🌾La révolution paysanne au Kenya contre le FMI, la Banque Mondiale et l’OMC, accusés d’imposer des taxes sévères au détriment du peuple. Consultez notre rapport de terrain pour plus d'infos👇https://t.co/sHWKiV5hly @PeasantsLeague @ECVC1 @LVCSEAf @LeMAP_be @Cncr_Senegal
— La Via Campesina en français (@viacampesinaFR) August 16, 2024

Peasant revolution in Kenya against the IMF, World Bank and WTO, accused of imposing harsh taxes to the detriment of the people. Check out our field report for more info

The KPL also reaffirmed that it “continues to oppose the neoliberal policies of the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO”, which have also been complicit in the situation in Haiti, regarding the intervention of Kenyan troops in the Caribbean country.

They have been at the forefront of educating the public about the neo-colonial policies of these institutions and the problematic deployment of Kenyan police in Haiti,” the KPL said.

The body states that “this deployment is especially worrying given the poor human rights record of the Kenyan police, as demonstrated by its handling of the Generation Z-led revolution, which seeks to free Kenyans from the oppression imposed by the IMF, the World Bank and WTO”.

For this reason, he also insisted that “so far, more than 50 Kenyans, mostly young people, have been killed in the protests against the IMF, with many still missing and thousands hospitalized due to injuries”.

They also value that “the revolution led by Generation Z took the whole ruling class by surprise, from the government to the opposition, religious organizations, civil society organizations (CSOs) and the media.

Despite attempts to marginalize their struggle, the takeover of the Kenyan Parliament on 25 June 2024 by Generation Z forced President Ruto to reject the Finance Bill 2024 and dissolve his cabinet”.

On June 25, 2024, more than 400 Kenyan police officers arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as part of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), with the alleged goal of ‘restoring order’ in the country.” Ironically, a significant protest erupted in Kenya on the same day, where indignant young protesters stormed the Kenyan Parliament,” the group said.

“This protest was a direct reaction to the 2024 Finance Bill, which had been passed by the Kenyan parliament despite widespread opposition. This bill, heavily influenced by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reform package, included controversial tax proposals”, said the KPL.