Saba Saba rallies a bad idea, says Swiss envoy Jacques Pitteloud
What you need to know:
- Pitteloud said that the Swiss Government would monitor the situation in Kenya before advising its citizens
- He urged politicians not to create civil unrest but restrain themselves
The rallies that the opposition plans for July 7 could worsen security situation in Kenya, Swiss Ambassador to Kenya Jacques Pitteloud has said.
Mr Pitteloud said he read “anxiety and worry in the security apparatus” from a recent statement by Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku, who on Sunday accused unnamed “former leaders” of recruiting members of the outlawed Mungiki sect and the Mombasa Republican Council to cause instability.
The minister also claimed that the calls for demonstrations on July 7 – Saba Saba – were aimed at inciting two communities to rise against each other.
In a live interview with NTV's 9pm news on Sunday, Mr Pitteloud said: “I think the Cabinet Secretary is trying to say we are in a very dangerous phase where a combination of the killings in Mpeketoni, the runaway insecurity in the country and calling for Saba Saba could be explosive.”
MONITOR THE SITUATION
He said that the Swiss Government would monitor the situation in Kenya before advising its citizens, but he was hopeful that “reason would prevail”.
“We do not want to create panic and paranoia and so we have not decided on an advisory yet.
“If reason prevails, all sides will realise that this is a very dangerous situation,” he said.
He urged politicians not to create civil unrest but restrain themselves.
If the attacks in Mpeketoni were the work of Al-Shabaab, the group had tactfully managed to divide Kenyans, according to the envoy.
“They must have known exactly where to hit so as to split Kenya in two and they have been very successful,” said Mr Pitteloud.
