Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir (L), Haki Africa executive director Hussein Khalid (R) and the organisation’s officials Francis Auma and Salma Hemed at a past event. [Photo/ Maxwell Ngala].
Gender and human rights defenders in Mombasa have said they will mark the 16 days of activism by mourning those who lost their lives during chaos experienced during the electioneering period.The activists said the divisive politics being witnessed in the country has proved to be very dangerous for the country’s unity.Speaking in Mombasa, Haki Africa’s gender and children rights activist Salma Hemed said the killing of innocent people in the country should be strongly condemned.Hemed condemned the government for condoning the use of excessive force by police on innocent demonstrators and called on the police to stop human rights violations.Hemed said the 16 days of activism which started on Saturday, November 25, will run until December 10, 2017.She said the International Human Rights day which will be celebrated on December 10 will enable the activists to reflect on the state of the nation and initiate community forums to highlight peace and security issues in the country.“We are disturbed by the current state of the nation, politicians should cease fire and calm the political situation in the country,” said Hemed.She said the prolonged political situation in the country has resulted into fear and anxiety among many Kenyans, a situation which is slowly destabilising the country.“We are divided and no longer coexist peacefully. This is already threatening the country’s peace and security,” she added.On his part, Haki Africa’s law and human rights officer Francis Auma said activists will push for security agents to stop violating the rights of Kenyans.Auma said figures from national and international human right bodies have recorded 127 deaths from the August 8 general election to date.“We call upon the police to stop killing innocent people and the government to work towards uniting the country,” he said.