By Brian Okoth
Kenyan former president Uhuru Kenyatta has said he will do everything possible to “protect my family against injustice.”
Kenyatta spoke on Friday night upon arriving at his son’s home in the high-end Karen estate in the country’s capital, Nairobi.
He said police officers had raided the home of his eldest son, Jomo, without a legal permit or search warrant.
According to the former president, the law enforcement officers attempted to conceal their identity by driving a vehicle bearing Sudanese registration plates.
Kenyatta says the government of his successor, William Ruto, was targeting him, and making his family suffer as a result.
‘Come for me’
This comes shortly after the state briefly withdrew the bodyguards attached to his mother, Mama Ngina Kenyatta, Kenya’s inaugural first lady and the widow of founding president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
“If I am the problem, just come for me. My silence does not imply fear. Come directly for me. Why involve my mother or my son in whatever is happening?” he posed.
Kenyatta supported Ruto’s main opponent in the country’s presidential election held on August 9, 2022, and he believes the government is avenging his choice.
Ruto narrowly defeated Kenyatta’s preferred candidate, Raila Odinga, who has now assumed opposition duties.
“Is it a crime for me to associate with Raila?” Kenyatta said on Friday.
Weekly protests
His remarks come as Kenya faces weekly protests over high taxes and unpopular policies introduced by Ruto’s administration.
Certain leaders affiliated to the government have alleged that Kenyatta, a wealthy man from a privileged family, has been “sponsoring” the protests, allegations the former president has denied.
“Why intimidate a 90-year-old woman (Mama Ngina), intimidate children? If it is me you want, come and tell us what you want,” he said.
It remains unclear why the police officers visited Jomo’s home, though Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki said in a statement that the government had launched a crackdown on illegal firearms owned by some Karen residents.
Citing national intelligence, Kindiki said the weapons had been used to “fuel violence during violent riots.” The minister added that 23 firearms were recovered during the operation.
Fallout
Kenyatta had earlier defended his son against claims of illegal gun ownership, saying Jomo followed the right procedure to acquire the weapon that “facilitates his protection.”
Kenyatta served as Kenya’s fourth president when Ruto was his deputy between 2013 and 2022. Despite starting off as good friends, the two fell out after Kenyatta won re-election in 2017.
Kenyatta accused Ruto of engaging in early presidential campaigns instead of working for Kenyans.
Ruto, on the other hand, accused Kenyatta of betraying him by striking a truce with Odinga and thereafter supporting Odinga’s presidential bid.
