The man who attempted to disrupt Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u’s photo session outside the Treasury building just before he delivered the Budget caused a commotion when he appeared in court.
During the session, Julius Kamau Kimani veered off course, disregarding his lawyer’s advice to adhere to court protocols and only speak at the appropriate time.
He then began a tirade, expressing his deep frustrations about what he perceived as the government’s neglect of ordinary poor Kenyans through the imposition of numerous taxes.
“Poor people are suffering and nobody cares so I don’t know what the role of the government is. I think the government has failed our people and we have also failed ourselves. My concerns will not allow me to keep silent,” Kamau said in the courtroom.
“I don’t know whether this is going to come up anywhere but we must have this conversation. We cannot continue living in fear. I see a lot of fear in this country and a lot of fear in the courts,” he continued.
Kamau was charged with creating a disturbance in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace.
Despite the Magistrate’s efforts to quiet Kamau, he persisted and even went ahead to mention the recent shooting of a magistrate that happened on Thursday at Makadara Law Courts.
“Just yesterday, we saw a magistrate who was shot by a police officer. I want to speak but you want me to remain silent when my heart is burning because of taxes. For 60 years we have been living like we are not human beings,” expressed Kamau.
“We are considered children of a lesser God by the ruling minority that does not care for the majority. We are victims of lies, failed promises and false hopes,” Kamau added.
Although warned to avoid being held in contempt of court, Kimani could not contain what he termed to be burning inside him.
“I don’t know whether you are going to sentence me; I’m ready to be sentenced to 100 years but I’ll keep speaking the truth until I leave this world. We cannot continue living like this; we must resist,” Kamau stated.