By John Iknai
Kenya’s top prosecutor on Monday dropped the charges against four lawmakers who were accused of participating in anti-government protests in the east African nation.
The decision came a day after opposition leader Raila Odinga suspended the demonstrations, which had seen thousands of people take to the streets over the past two weeks to protest against the rising cost of living and alleged electoral fraud.
Odinga expressed his willingness to engage in talks with President William Ruto, as long as authorities stopped arresting protesters and addressed his concerns about the electoral system.
The four opposition lawmakers, including leaders of Odinga’s faction in both houses of parliament, were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly in late March but were later released on bail.
Lawyer Danstan Omari said that the decision to drop the charges was made “for the sake of peace, dialogue and justice between the accused persons and the state”.
The decision was welcomed by the U.S. Embassy in Kenya and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc.
Ruto, on his part, said on Twitter that he had urged the leaders of both houses of parliament to prioritize addressing the opposition’s concerns.
He expressed confidence that the issues would be conclusively handled by Parliament.
