The Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition has issued a notice to the Inspector General of Police, Japheth Koome, regarding the planned Monday and Thursday nationwide anti-government demonstrations.

Through the chair of the party’s executive council, Wycliffe Oparanya, the party said it could not submit any form, as none was available at any police station, and therefore the notice would serve as an official notice.

Azimio notified Koome that they will hold processions in all 47 counties in the country on Mondays and Thursday starting the following week

“We are unable to submit any prescribed form as none is available in any of their stations. Can you please avail us a copy from your office but this serves as an official notice,” the notice read in part.

“This is to notify you that we will be holding processions in all the 47 counties in the Republic of Kenya this Monday 27th, March 2023 and Thursday 30th March 2023 and every subsequent Monday and Thursday thereafter.”

Azimio further made known its intentions to submit petitions to County Commanders; sub county commanders and all other state offices countrywide as part of the processions.

However, the party cautioned that the notice was not an application for permission but a notice for the police to provide enough security to the demonstrators.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not an application for permission as none is required under Article 37,” the notice read.

“This is a notification to enable the police provide adequate security to the demonstrators. By this notice; kindly provide adequate security.”

The party also issued a warning against the National Police Service deploying armed officers in plainclothes police, as they will be considered hired hoodlums who will be arrested by civilians.

“Further to this; we put police on notice that we will allow only uniformed police to bear arms; plainclothes in arms will be dealt with as thugs and hired goons and committed to civilian arrests as allowed per the law,” the notice read.

This notice seems to be a response to Koome’s statement issued on Tuesday in which he claimed the anti-government protests were just a ploy to invade the State House and not demos against the high cost of living in the country.

“On Monday 20th March, 2023, the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance leaders and their supporters held an illegal demonstration in Nairobi and Kisumu cities, allegedly protesting against what they termed as high cost of living, but their sole aim was to invade the State House,” the statement read in part.