NAIROBI, Kenya- Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has accused politicians of sponsoring violent protests and exploiting the ongoing fuel crisis to destabilise the country, following deadly demonstrations that rocked several parts of Kenya on Monday.
Speaking after nationwide protests linked to soaring fuel prices and the matatu strike turned chaotic, Murkomen said four Kenyans lost their lives while more than 30 others were injured during the unrest.
“It is unfortunate that we lost four Kenyans in today’s violence,” said Murkomen. “It is very regrettable that there are politicians in this country who measure the success of opposition to the government by the number of innocent lives lost in the demonstrations they organized.”
The CS warned that the government would hold accountable leaders accused of inciting violence, ethnic intolerance and attacks targeting government supporters and public infrastructure.
“We are witnessing a clear scheme where a section of the political class is making incendiary statements to fund intolerance and ethnic bigotry and organizing gangs to spread terror and sabotage government projects,” he said.
Murkomen linked the protests to a wider political agenda aimed at intimidating supporters of President William Ruto’s administration, arguing that previous governments faced fuel price crises without similar demonstrations.
“When I was in the Senate in the last administration, I was a very serious critic of the way oil prices were being handled by the government. You should give us credit that no life was lost; we never organized a protest,” Murkomen said.
“You should ask yourselves why it was okay to understand Uhuru Kenyatta, but when it is President Ruto, they should go to the streets. There must be a certain level of profiling that applies to William Ruto and not Uhuru Kenyatta,” he added.
The Interior CS defended the government’s handling of the fuel crisis, saying the ongoing global conflict affecting oil supply chains had created serious challenges worldwide.
“The whole disruption of the oil supply chain is very serious. A number of countries in our neighbourhood do not have fuel in the first place,” he said.
Murkomen credited the government-to-government fuel import programme for ensuring Kenya still has fuel supply despite the high prices.
“Because of the foresight and the G-to-G program, we at least have a guarantee of supply of fuel, even if it is at a higher price. It would be worse if we completely did not have fuel,” he noted.
The CS also condemned attacks reported during the protests, including alleged looting of supermarkets owned by leaders allied to the government, the burning of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) offices in Wote and torching of trucks linked to the Rironi-Mau Summit road project.
“The looting of supermarkets owned by an MP who supports the government, the burning down of UDA offices in Wote, and the torching of two trucks at the site of the Rironi Mau Summit flagship project are not coincidences but a calculated move to spread fear,” he said.
Murkomen maintained that violence and destruction would not solve the fuel crisis and urged dialogue between the government and transport stakeholders.
“Looting, violence, blocking roads, and vandalizing public and private property can in no way bring down the oil prices,” he said.
The protests were triggered by sharp fuel price increases announced in the latest Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) review, which sparked outrage among commuters and matatu operators, leading to a nationwide transport paralysis.