NAIROBI, Kenya — Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Tuesday softened his stance on police conduct during recent anti-government protests, promising that all allegations of abuse and extrajudicial killings by officers will be investigated.
Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi, Murkomen appeared to walk back earlier statements that had defended the use of lethal force, insisting that police must be held accountable if they violate the law.
“There is no law that excuses a police officer to commit crimes or kill people,” said Murkomen. “Any claims of an officer killing civilians must and will be investigated. All cases of excesses reported will be investigated.”
The remarks mark a sharp departure from the Interior CS’s recent public rhetoric, which has drawn heavy criticism from civil society, opposition leaders, and international human rights organisations.
In previous statements, Murkomen had repeatedly defended law enforcement’s use of firearms during protests, at one point vowing the government would not cooperate with investigations into officers accused of killing civilians while protecting public property.
A Pattern of Shifting Justifications
Murkomen’s latest promise of accountability follows weeks of public pressure over the government’s handling of youth-led demonstrations that have rocked the country since June.
More than 40 people have reportedly died, with dozens more injured, many allegedly at the hands of police or unmarked gunmen captured on video firing into crowds.
On June 30, Murkomen sparked outrage when he publicly declared that police officers who used their guns to defend government buildings would be shielded from prosecution, even if civilians were killed.
“If a police officer is taken to court for using their gun to protect themselves or a government office, we will not cooperate,” he said then. “We’ll provide lawyers. There’s no way we can abandon a police officer to struggle alone.”
Just days later, on July 7 — the day of the deadly Saba Saba protests — Murkomen praised the police for what he called “professionalism” and “restraint” during operations, even as eyewitness reports and video evidence emerged showing masked, heavily armed units in unmarked vehicles firing at civilians.
“If it was not for your work, we would today be discussing the kind of damage we saw last week,” Murkomen said at the time.
Then on July 11, while speaking in Garsen, the CS doubled down on his previous comments, brushing aside criticism of his “shoot-to-kill” rhetoric and defending police use of deadly force during violent confrontations.
“I will repeat this a million times. Police have the right to defend themselves and protect the lives of others,” he said.
Accountability or Damage Control?
Murkomen’s apparent change in tone comes amid growing calls for justice from bereaved families, survivors, and rights watchdogs.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Amnesty International, and several lawmakers have demanded independent investigations into police conduct during the June 25 and July 7 protests.
On Monday, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) confirmed it is probing multiple cases involving police shootings.
Human rights groups have accused the government of sanctioning “a shadow crackdown” involving unmarked security convoys, with chilling similarities to past extrajudicial squads.
As protests continue to simmer and pressure mounts for transparency, Murkomen’s promise to investigate alleged abuses may be his most significant public test yet — one that could define the government’s legacy on human rights and police accountability.
