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Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has publicly disowned any directive or law that authorizes the police to shoot and kill civilians. This sudden shift comes amid intensifying scrutiny over how security forces have handled recent protests, particularly following President William Ruto’s controversial order to shoot looters in the leg.
Murkomen’s new stance emphasizes that all law enforcement actions must be legally justified and that any unlawful killings—whether in uniform or not—will lead to prosecution. His remarks marked a deliberate effort to reassert constitutional order after weeks of tension and international concern over the conduct of Kenyan police during unrest.
Speaking during a press briefing on July 15, Murkomen made it clear: “There’s no provision in our Constitution that allows police to kill innocent people.” He underscored that all officers must act within the rule of law, noting that rogue officers would no longer enjoy protection from the state.
Already, one officer is facing murder charges in court, a move Murkomen cited as proof that the government is beginning to act decisively against lawlessness within the security sector. He promised to issue a formal policy directive on the use of force and firearms to the Inspector General of Police by the end of the week under Article 245(4) of the Constitution.
Civil society and human rights groups have raised alarm over the recent spike in extrajudicial killings and police brutality, especially during protests like the Saba Saba demonstrations and the June 25 unrest. While acknowledging the constitutional right to peaceful protest, Murkomen condemned acts of looting, vandalism, and attacks on public infrastructure that followed the protests.
Murkomen urged citizens to avoid being manipulated by criminal elements using protests as a cover. “We must never allow criminals to hijack legitimate grievances and use them to destabilize our nation,” he stated firmly.
Despite his current tone, Murkomen has faced heavy backlash for remarks made during the height of public protests, where he appeared to authorize police to shoot to kill anyone threatening a police station. At the time, he justified the move by citing repeated assaults on police stations and accused the judiciary of failing to keep violent offenders behind bars.
Though Murkomen now claims the directive was part of a broader national security response and not solely his own, critics argue that such statements embolden officers to act with excessive force.
Adding to the storm, President William Ruto also took a hardline approach, publicly instructing police to shoot looters in the leg. While his comments were framed as a strategy to neutralize threats without fatal outcomes, legal experts and rights advocates warned that such language blurs the line between enforcing order and institutionalizing violence.
Ruto’s comments stirred fears of a growing authoritarian tilt within the government, especially at a time when public trust in law enforcement is dangerously low.
With mounting pressure at home and abroad, Murkomen’s pivot is both strategic and necessary. However, the real test lies in whether the government will follow through with actual reforms, stricter oversight, and transparent investigations into the conduct of its security forces.
For now, Kenya stands at a critical crossroads—either reclaim its constitutional values or risk sliding deeper into a climate of fear and unchecked force.
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