National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has renewed calls for a comprehensive review of Kenya’s laws governing public protests, citing escalating violence, destruction of property, and abuse of constitutional rights during recent demonstrations.

Speaking in Kabuchoi, Nandi County during a Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme, Wetang’ula emphasized that while Article 37 of the Constitution protects the right to peaceful assembly, that right is not absolute and must be exercised responsibly and without violence.

“The Constitution guarantees the right to assemble and protest. But it does not give anyone the license to riot, loot, burn property, rape, maim, or kill. That is lawlessness,” he said.

He proposed that Parliament initiate a legal overhaul to close existing gaps in protest regulations—15 years after the enactment of the 2010 Constitution. Wetang’ula cited UK protest laws, where organizers can be held personally liable for damages, as a model Kenya could adapt. “Freedom must come with responsibility,” he added.

The Speaker also issued a sharp rebuke to impeached former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of inciting unrest from abroad and attempting to export Kenya’s political tensions to the United States. “He is a national security threat… We must reject divisive politics,” Wetang’ula stated.

He was joined by senior leaders including National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, Senate Majority Whip Silvanus Osoro, Bungoma Senator David Wakoli, and several MPs. Ichung’wah backed the Speaker’s remarks and warned that those who sponsored the Saba Saba protests would face legal consequences—regardless of their political rank.

“Whether you’re an MP or not—if you sponsored those riots, you will be held accountable,” he said, in an apparent reference to Naivasha MP Jane Kihara, who was recently arrested in connection with the protests.

Ichung’wah also urged Rift Valley residents to remain vigilant and avoid the ethnic divisions that fueled the 2007/08 post-election violence.