NAIROBI, Kenya — Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has admitted that elements within the National Police Service, government offices, and political circles are aiding the operations of criminal gangs across the country, warning that the state will not offer protection to any individuals linked to organized crime.
Speaking during a live interview on Citizen TV, Murkomen addressed concerns raised after chaotic scenes in the recently concluded by-elections, where police officers were captured interacting casually with machete-wielding groups accused of disrupting the electoral process.
He confirmed that Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja had initiated internal processes to hold all involved officers accountable.
“We cannot condone this issue of gangs, and we cannot protect them simply because somebody is supporting or opposing the president,” Murkomen said, stressing that both government-aligned and opposition politicians had been implicated in sponsoring criminal groups.
Murkomen noted that the problem is deeply entrenched, with some police officers, politicians, and business figures reportedly hiring gangs as tools for political intimidation, land grabbing, and other illicit operations.
He described the groups as mercenary outfits motivated purely by profit.
“These gangs survive by being contracted by unscrupulous business people to take people’s land. They are being co-opted by politicians to provide services, and they are not loyal to anybody; they are just loyal to the highest bidder,” he said.
The Interior CS highlighted the government’s renewed reliance on intelligence-driven security strategies, anchored on the Jukwaa la Usalama model — a platform designed to strengthen community participation in identifying and addressing security threats.
“Jukwaa is modelled around the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda. From a governance perspective, it is citizens and officers resolving security challenges by listening to the concerns of the people below,” Murkomen explained.
Under this framework, the ministry aims to dismantle gang networks by mapping out financiers, political links, and cross-county operations.
Murkomen said an extensive, intelligence-led crackdown — currently being designed under the office of the Inspector General — will specifically target top-level gang commanders and their financiers rather than low-level operatives.
“What we are planning to do is identification and recognition of the challenges we have with gangs. We intend to do an intelligence-led operation and this will target the gang leaders and the financiers,” he said.
Murkomen acknowledged the scale of the task ahead, noting that criminal groups have built complex networks within state machinery and political structures. However, he insisted that the government is committed to eradicating gang influence and reasserting the rule of law.
“We know the challenge will not be easy, but we are determined to deal with it,” he said, emphasizing that accountability measures had already begun.
The revelations come amid heightened scrutiny of Kenya’s security agencies following violent incidents during recent by-elections, rising concerns about politically aligned militias, and public calls for renewed reforms within the National Police Service.
As the country heads into the next phase of electoral preparation, security experts say Murkomen’s remarks could mark a turning point in how the state confronts criminal networks long perceived as untouchable — though the success of the planned crackdown will hinge on sustained political will and transparency.
