Why Ruto’s Trip to Israel Should be Concerning for Azimio and the President’s Dissenters

Kenyan President William Ruto’s trip to Israel is concerning. Israel is a country that deploys some very baleful (harmful) ‘security’ technologies especially when it comes to espionage. Even more, Israel has continually persecuted the Palestinians and Kenya, as a peace-loving country, has no business “upgrading” relations with Israel, including seeking collaboration on the security front.

In Israel for an official visit.
I will have engagements with PM @netanyahu Agriculture Ministe Uri Ariel and Knesset (Parliament).

— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) October 12, 2015

Israel has Continually and Fervently Persecuted Palestinians

Kenya is a peace-loving country and a peacekeeper in the East and Central regions of Africa. As such, it’s President William Ruto, who’s under increasingly heated dissent from the opposition party Azimio, has no business making a trip there to, among other things, seek Israel’s help when it comes to security.

Opinion: Ruto Should Have Stayed Away from Israel in Support of the Palestinian People

Ruto’s trip to Israel should be very concerning for Kenyans as the trip seeks cooperation with a nation that has not hesitated, time and again, to bomb a whole entire race and persecute them day in and day out. In my view, Kenyans stand with the Palestinians and their plight and the Kenyan President should have resisted his trip and the call for an upgrade of relations with Israel, as a way to show Kenya’s disapproval of the oppression and persecution of Palestinians by the State of Israel.

No Israel.. No More Violence.. Give Palestinians Their Country Back!

What Hamas did was wrong and I would like to condemn the acts of violence they undertook and to condemn terrorism as a whole

Mania AfricaDavid Mania

 

Israel Deploys Some Very Baleful Espionage Software including the Pegasus Spyware

Israel supports the intelligence arm of its army and its spy agency, Mossad, to create, deploy, and even sell some very harmful espionage software. A case in point is the Pegasus Spyware by Israel’s NSO Group that’s been sold to autocratic governments in the past and used to spy on and persecute journalists and political dissenters. As such, Azimio officials should be very wary because President Ruto could as well have gone to Israel to purchase something like Pegasus in exchange for giving Israel back-door access to the investment opportunities in Kenya.

The Pegasus Spyware and Its Danger to the Freedom of Press and Dissidents

Pegasus has already inflicted damage as it was recently discovered that governments had used it to spy on members of the press and even other governments including top government leadership.

Mania AfricaDavid Mania

 

Why the Pegasus Spyware is a Risk to Ruto’s Political Dissenters and Azimio Officials and Supporters

Pegasus has been known to be planted on dissenters’ and journalists’ phones as a way to spy on them and tap into their communications to monitor politically dissenting activities. Even more, sometimes the governments and dictatorships that have been sold to the spyware use this information to directly attack and even murder journalists and political dissenters. Take an example of how Pegasus was allegedly used by Saudi Arabia to help lure and murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Ruto’s Merky Leadership When It Comes to Dissent and Political Opposition

Since Israel doesn’t seem to be vetting the governments and regimes that it sells the spyware to, meaningfully even, then the spyware could end up in the hands of Presidents such as Ruto and others who may be keen to clamp down on dissent. It is very concerning that President William Ruto took the trip to Israel, especially since he’s known to employ underhand tactics against his opponents. Some have even likened his leadership to the late Kenyan dictator and his mentor, Daniel Arap Moi.