KIKUYU, Kenya — Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said the government will stand by police officers who use live bullets to defend themselves during protests but warned them not to abuse that support.
“If you’re sued for protecting your life, a police station, or Parliament we will defend you,” Murkomen said during a visit to Kikuyu Law Courts, which were torched last week in anti-government protests. “We’ll hire lawyers for any officer who did their job properly.”
But in the same breath, the CS issued a stark warning: “Don’t use this as an excuse to go around shooting people. You already know what your standing orders say.”
The remarks, delivered in Swahili and English, were captured in a video that has since gone viral.
Murkomen was flanked by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo and Deputy Inspector General Gilbert Masengeli. They toured the scorched courthouse a symbol of the growing anger gripping parts of the country over the government’s controversial tax hikes and cost-of-living crisis.
The Interior boss sought to walk a tightrope balancing support for security forces with public concern over alleged police brutality.
Over the past week, at least a dozen protesters have reportedly been killed, according to civil society watchdogs. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has opened investigations into multiple incidents.
Speaking later in Kitui, Murkomen addressed rising fears over an alleged “shoot-to-kill” policy.
“There’s no such order,” he said. “Police only use their guns under the law. They’re trained. They know when their lives or the lives of others are in danger.”
According to the National Police Service Act of 2011, officers are only allowed to open fire when their lives are directly at risk, when someone else is threatened, or to stop a felon escaping lawful custody.
Still, the government’s show of support for armed officers has raised concerns among rights groups.
“What we fear is a greenlight for impunity,” said Peter Kioko, a human rights lawyer based in Nairobi. “Yes, officers have a right to protect themselves. But where are the safeguards to ensure accountability when things go wrong?”
Murkomen, however, stood firm. He pointed to a recent incident where firearms were stolen from Dagoretti Police Station and expressed alarm over such weapons falling into the wrong hands.
“Criminals with stolen guns are a threat to families and businesses,” he said. “Let’s not confuse that with peaceful protesters.”
He called for restraint both from police and from demonstrators but made it clear that the government would not back down on law enforcement.
“This is not a licence for recklessness,” he said, once again appealing to officers to respect the law.
