NAIROBI, Kenya — The Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya) has strongly condemned a violent attack on St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Othaya, describing the incident as a grave assault on constitutional rights and democratic governance.
In a press statement dated January 27, 2026, ICJ Kenya said the attack occurred on January 25, 2026, during a church service, and allegedly involved individuals suspected to be police officers acting alongside masked persons.
According to the statement, the attackers reportedly fired live bullets and lobbed teargas into the church sanctuary, an act ICJ Kenya said was deeply disturbing and wholly unacceptable in an open and democratic society.
“As a body of jurists, ICJ Kenya is profoundly alarmed by what this incident represents: a grave assault on constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms,” the organisation said.
ICJ Kenya noted that places of worship are protected sanctuaries under both Kenyan and international law.
The Human Rights Organisation warned that the reported actions amounted to serious violations of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, including the rights to human dignity, freedom of religion, expression, peaceful assembly, security of the person, and the right to life.
The organisation said the presence of children and other vulnerable persons during the attack significantly aggravated the gravity of the violations.
ICJ Kenya further raised concern over what it described as the growing normalisation of unlawful, unnecessary, and disproportionate use of force, alongside increasing securitisation of civic, political, and social expression.
“When law enforcement agencies are perceived to act outside the law or in direct violation of it, public trust collapses, civic space shrinks, and democracy is placed in serious jeopardy,” the statement said.
Citing Article 243 of the Constitution and the National Police Service Act, ICJ Kenya stressed that the National Police Service exists to protect human rights, preserve peace, and serve the public, and must never be deployed as an instrument of fear or intimidation.
The organisation said any involvement of police officers in the attack would constitute a grave breach of constitutional duty and a profound violation of public trust.
While acknowledging Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s directive for investigations, ICJ Kenya insisted that accountability must be independent, transparent, prompt, and effective.
The lobby group called on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to urgently investigate the incident, identify all those responsible, including perpetrators and those who authorised, facilitated, or condoned the attack, and ensure accountability in accordance with the law.
ICJ Kenya also urged the State to immediately halt the use of unlawful and excessive force against civilians, reaffirm its commitment to constitutional policing, and called on Parliament to exercise rigorous oversight over the security sector.
“The Constitution was born of struggle and sacrifice. Its guarantees are neither optional nor suspended during moments of political tension,” the statement said.
