Methinks Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen is a clever student of history and a smarter lawyer. Comparative jurisprudence must be his forte.
How else would anyone explain Mr Murkomen’s recent strange public and highly publicised address to senior officers of the National Police Service (NPS) and Kenyans in general? The Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) loudly, eloquently, coherently, with a straight face and without shame, ordered police to shoot anyone who dared approach a police station.
I immediately confirmed that the CS is indeed a clever student of history, but twisted. What Murkomen did that day was to “read the riot act” to the NPS and Kenyans. While “to read the riot act” is a common enough phrase in Kenya, it has its roots in old Great Britain and is associated with horrendous atrocities by the state against humanity.
The pedestrian meaning of this phrase is not just a strong warning meant to intimidate but actually a very clear, ominous threat to the audience on the sombre consequences of noncompliance. This is exactly what Murkomen had in mind when he read the riot act to Kenyans. And Murkomen is an honourable man.
The Riot Act was, in fact, an Act of Parliament, enacted by The House of Lords in 1714. The full title was “An Act for preventing tumultuous and riotous assemblies and for the more speedy and effectual punishing of rioters.”
This infamous law was passed during the reign of King George I. Perhaps, to give credit to Wakili Murkomen’s firm grasp and interpretation of comparative jurisdiction, The Riot Act was a reaction to the events of the day in Great Britain. Very interestingly, like Kenya today, the country was facing frequent civil unrest and political and economic instability and threats of Jacobite Uprisings. The Jacobites were supporters of the deposed King James II.
For fear of certain people, in certain vehicles, I shall draw no parallels between the deposed King James and the Kenyan situation today. Anyway, the application of the Riot Act was terrifyingly simplistic. A public officer, say a mayor, a town sheriff, a magistrate, a judge or an authorised senior constable would stand before a protesting crowd of 12 people or more and read aloud a specific proclamation of The Riot Act, ordering them to disperse immediately.
The proclamation included: “Our Sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the Act made in the first year of King George I, for preventing tumultuous and riotous assemblies. God save the King.”
I suspect this excerpt could be very exciting, appealing and inspiring to Man Kip. Especially that bit about “God Save the King.”
The Act specifically provided that after a public officer had read the proclamation, the protesting crowd had one hour within which to disperse as ordered. And if they did not disperse, the police would shoot them, not shoot at them, shoot not to disperse them, shoot not to maim them but shoot to kill them. So you see, our Honourable Interior CS is not your kind of copycat. He is original in content, style and flair, by and large. Onesimus is a learned man.
But there is a little difference though. While the murderous Riot Act of 1714 gave protesters at least one hour to disperse, Murkomen gave Kenyans not a minute to disperse but instant death to whoever misadvised themselves and approached a police station.
But here’s more evidence of retrospective telepathy between Murkomen (EGH) and the framers of the Riot Act of 1714 in Great Britain. Like the Interior CS observed during his address to the nation recently, the British Riot Act provided that any police officer, a constable or other, found to have shot or otherwise killed protesters “shall be free, discharged and indemnified by the state from any wrong whatsoever.”
Murkomen said, “We shall defend you to the hilt…” Same thing in other words, no?
A final and again very minor difference between the British of yore and our guy: The British officers were silent about who told them to kill fellow Britons. Our guy told us there were orders from above. Mhhhhh, from above… Who could happen to be above the mighty Murkomen?
Unbeknown to many Kenyans, The Riot Act of 1714 was exported and enacted “raw” to British colonies including the USA, Canada and, yes, Kenya. The Act prescribed in the finest detail how the government handles protests or disorder.
For the personal consumption of Mheshimiwa Murkomen, by way of Point of Order, he needed to be informed that the British Riot Act was declared draconian and consequently repealed in 1973. But by word and deed, Murkomen wants the Act to be re-enacted.
For a personage weighed down by ornaments such as his Swiss-talking watches, self-fastening belts, scented crocodile skin shoes and sanctified designer suits with inbuilt fabric-body-massage, Mr Murkomen would naturally advise policemen that guns are not ornaments.
By Kutete Matimbai