NAIROBI, Kenya- Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has acknowledged failures in the government’s handling of the 2024 Finance Bill crisis, pointing to poor communication and inadequate public engagement during the confrontation that culminated in protesters breaching Parliament.
Murkomen said the situation could have been handled better, revisiting the government’s response to the youth-led demonstrations that forced President William Ruto to abandon the controversial tax proposals.
His remarks came as he addressed the role of citizens in national security during a lecture at the National Defence College in Karen, Nairobi.
Speaking on “Citizen Participation as a Strategic Pillar of National Security”, Murkomen urged government institutions to listen to communities and act on the information they provide.
Communication failures during the crisis
Murkomen linked the Finance Bill crisis to shortcomings in government communication and engagement with the public.
His assessment returns attention to how the administration handled opposition to the proposed taxes before demonstrations escalated in June 2024.
The protests reached a turning point on June 25, when demonstrators entered Parliament after MPs approved the Bill.
A day later, President William Ruto announced that he would not sign it into law, acknowledging the strength of public opposition.
“I concede and therefore I will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill,” Ruto said in his June 26 address from State House.
Public participation must lead to action
At the National Defence College, Murkomen argued that public engagement should be judged by the response it produces, rather than the number of meetings officials hold.
He identified Jukwaa La Usalama as a platform through which citizens could raise security concerns, with government agencies expected to address those concerns and report back.
Murkomen said information from different communities should be examined together to identify recurring patterns and emerging threats.
He also called for a continuing exchange between citizens and security agencies, extending beyond conventional community policing.
Trust at the centre of security
Murkomen said national security depends on more than preventing violence. It also requires institutions that people trust and mechanisms for resolving disputes before they escalate.
He argued that the government’s ability to listen, learn and respond matters more than how much information it possesses.
The Cabinet Secretary also urged police commanders to build relationships with the communities they serve, saying public confidence cannot be secured through officers’ physical presence or posture alone.
“Security is not simply the absence of violence,” he said.
The human cost of the protests
The 2024 crisis left a toll extending far beyond the withdrawal of the Bill.
In an update issued on July 1, 2024, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported 39 deaths and 361 injuries linked to protests across the country.
Those figures reflected the commission’s records at that stage, rather than a final tally for the entire period of unrest.
The legislative process ended on July 25, 2024, when the National Assembly agreed with the President’s recommendation to delete every clause, rejecting the Finance Bill in its entirety.
