Topic:
Country: Kenya
Delegate Name: Harrison Cornell
Committee: SOCHUM
Topic: Right to Peaceful Protest
Country: Kenya
Delegate: Harrison Cornell
The Right to Peaceful is fundamental for a society to allow for the participation of its citizens in the political process. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” (Universal…). Throughout human history, peaceful protest has been a means of furthering society. Through peaceful protest, societies have rebelled and have gained civil rights through peaceful protest.
Kenya has had a long history with the right to peaceful protest. During the presidential term of Daniel arap Moi, protesters were killed in peaceful protest. As the 1997 elections came and Moi was facing opposition in the lead up to the election, “over 70 people had been killed in demonstrations, including seven protesters killed by police in July in massive Nairobi demonstration that saw police beating religious leaders inside the All Saints Cathedral at midday” (Sachs). Even though there have been problems with the right to peaceful protest in Kenya’s history since the new constitution Kenya has been all for peaceful protest. According to the Kenyan constitution, chapter four, section two, subsection 37, “Every person has the right, peaceably and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket, and to present petitions to public authorities.” Kenya seeks to protect its citizens’ right to peaceful protest through protections built into our law and constitution as it is a fundamental right to its society. And we hope to move forward from our past and to look ahead to helping build a better future for all Kenyans.
Kenya supports trying to protect the right to peaceful protest as long as citizens remain peaceful and do not commit any acts of violence and appear to be unarmed. Kenya believes that while peaceful protest is a fundamental right that shouldn’t be infringed upon, if it threatens the security of the state, or incites violence then it should not be protected in order to preserve the wellbeing of the state and it’s citizens. Kenya supports defining a boundary for when protest is considered peaceful and when it threatens the security of the state and its wellbeing.
Works Cited
“Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations, www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.
Sachs, Moshe Y. “Kenya.” Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations, edited by Moshe Y. Sachs, 4th ed., Worldmark Press, 1971, pp. 393-412.
“Chapter 4 – The Bill of Rights.” Kenyan Constitution, Manje Media, kenyanconstitution.manjemedia.com/the-bill-of-rights/#37.
