NAIROBI, Kenya – The United Opposition has accused President William Ruto’s administration of unleashing state-sponsored violence and employing what it describes as “Haiti-style militia tactics” to suppress peaceful protests and dissent across Kenya.
In a statement released Wednesday, opposition leaders condemned the police shooting of unarmed civilians during Tuesday’s demonstrations in Nairobi, which were held in response to the death of teacher and activist Albert Ojwang in police custody.
“The police have become judge, jury, and executioner— a death squad in uniform,” the coalition said. “They have abdicated their constitutional mandate to protect and serve and are now operating under the command of a paranoid and repressive regime.”
The statement referenced disturbing scenes from Nairobi’s Central Business District, where masked individuals, allegedly working alongside police, were seen attacking demonstrators and looting property.
The group also claimed the government was using tactics inspired by recent security missions abroad.
“What was billed as a peacekeeping mission in Haiti now appears to have been a benchmarking trip by Ruto—on how to use militia to terrorize a population,” the Opposition alleged.
Statement by the United Opposition Leaders;Asking for accountability from a clearly paranoid and repressive regime that flaunts the rule of law and disregards human life, is a waste of time.We have therefore taken steps in compiling evidence to summit to the International
Questions Over Police Conduct and International Arms Links
The Opposition posed a series of pointed questions, including why officers obscured their badge numbers and faces, why live ammunition was used on unarmed citizens, and why some officers were allegedly seen looting electronics during the chaos.
The group also linked the situation in Kenya to broader regional concerns, raising alarm over alleged firearm similarities between those used by Kenyan police and those supplied to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in Sudan.
“These death squads are using special firearms that Ruto has also illegally supplied to Sudan’s RSF militia,” the statement claimed—allegations the government has previously denied.
The United Opposition further accused police leadership of perjury before Parliament in an alleged effort to cover up Ojwang’s death.
They dismissed expectations of government accountability, citing what they called “deliberate dereliction of duty.”
ICC Action and Evidence Collection
In a significant escalation, the Opposition said it was compiling evidence to submit to the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing President Ruto of crimes against humanity and violations of both the Kenyan Constitution and international treaties, including the Rome Statute.
“Mr. Ruto must answer for his crimes against humanity,” the group stated, adding that documentation efforts were already underway.
The Opposition concluded its statement with a defiant call to the public not to yield to fear or intimidation.
“Ruto’s terror tactics are meant to silence, divide, and demoralize us. But history has taught us—no regime can sustain itself on bullets and lies.”
