- Senator Crystal Asige shares her experience during the Finance Bill protests
- Chaotic events unfolded in and around Parliament after the bill was passed
- Young protestors helped a disabled MP to safety instead of confronting him after breaching the gates of Parliament
Senator Crystal Asige has shared her harrowing experience during the Finance Bill protests
Asige, who has a visual impairment, described the chaotic events that unfolded in and around Parliament after the controversial bill was passed.
Crystal Asige speaks out on Parliament chaos during Finance Bill protests
The day began with the much-anticipated vote on the Finance Bill 2024. According to Asige, the atmosphere was charged as members of Parliament awaited the results.
"We were watching then the vote came out and in the end, the majority said yes to passing the bill. We went outside and joined the National Assembly colleagues. We went to the gate of the National Assembly to join the protestors," she recounted.
READ: The doctor said I would go blind by 2013 - Crystal Asige's Inspiring story
Asige described how the situation quickly deteriorated as police began dispersing the crowd with tear gas. "That's when we got separated because police began throwing tear gas even at members of Parliament because they were not looking at who was protesting or who was protesting. We were just at the gate of Parliament. We were now being dispersed by the police, other parliamentarians started running. I was separated from my security for some time," she explained.
Amid the chaos, Asige and her colleagues were informed that some protestors had managed to breach the gates and enter the Parliament grounds.
"Then we were told some protestors found a way to get inside, so you need to look for cover wherever you can. Some went into Parliament, some into the offices, while others were taken through the tunnel to Bunge Towers," she added.
READ: List of Kenyans who lost their lives in the Finance Bill protests
How protestors assisted a disabled MP who voted yes
Amid the commotion, Asige highlighted an instance of humanity and solidarity. A disabled MP who had voted in favour of the bill was left stranded in his wheelchair, without his security detail.
"Three young protestors came and saw him and instead of looking him in the face and confronting him about what he had done, they helped him. They helped him get into the tunnel so he could also be taken to Bunge Towers for safety. And then they went back and joined their fellow protestors," Asige recalled.
Asige emphasised that the young protestors' primary aim was to have their voices heard, not to incite violence.
"What I am trying to say is that these young people just wanted their voices to be heard. They are not evil. They had the opportunity of putting more violence on us MPs, but they did not," she stressed.
Asige expresses dismay at the military's response
Asige expressed her dismay at the military's response to the protestors.
"We were still inside when they came in. Some were face-to-face with these protestors, and we made it. We went to Bunge Towers and looked for a safe office to wait for things to calm down. Then within 10 minutes, we heard the military had been deployed to Parliament. To do what? With their machine guns and AK-47s to confront children who had bottles of water, stones, and whistles. That was unbelievable," she lamented.
The protestors, according to Asige, were more concerned with finding necessities rather than causing harm. "They were inside Parliament asking us for water, so we were showing them where the dispensers were. That's all they wanted. They wanted to be heard!" she said.