Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa has vowed to defy a police order that called for the cancellation of a rally that was set to take place in Nabongo Sports grounds, Mumias.
The police in a statement claimed the meeting posed a security threat to the people of Mumias.
“This is to notify you that office has cancelled your permit to carry out the above exercise purportedly scheduled to take place on 18/01/2020 at Nabongo Sports Grounds starting 0900 hrs due to security reasons,” read a letter which was signed by Mumias OCS Albert Chebii.
Barasa however, raised questions over why the police would cancel a meeting which had already been approved.
“How can they cancel a meeting? It is not possible. Do they have the powers to cancel a meeting? We were already given an approval letter,” Barasa posed.
The legislator insisted that they had received an approval letter which validated the meeting.
“It doesn’t matter, we will go and hold the meeting. We were already given an approval letter. The meeting will go on wapende wasipende (whether they like it or not). Which security reasons? We are beyond these antics of a yesterday order,” Barasa added.
Another rally is set to take place at Bukhungu stadium in Kakamega town to draw support for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report.
The meeting is set to be spearheaded by the county's Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and COTU secretary General Francis Atwoli.