Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, has stirred public debate after declaring that police cars should not be used to transport the injured to hospitals.
Speaking during a recent address to officers, Mr Murkomen insisted that the police must concentrate on their “core duties” of law enforcement and security. “Our vehicles should not be carrying injured people to the hospital. That is not the work of police,” he said.
His remarks quickly spread online, drawing both support and criticism. Some Kenyans argued that emergency response is not strictly the responsibility of the police, pointing instead to the Ministry of Health and county governments. Others countered that in many cases, especially in rural areas, a police car is the only vehicle available to rush accident victims or the wounded to hospital.
For decades, police vehicles in Kenya have often doubled up as ambulances due to the shortage of emergency medical services. According to health workers, the country has far fewer ambulances than the World Health Organisation recommends, leaving many communities to rely on police or even private cars in emergencies.
Critics of Mr Murkomen’s comments said his position ignored the reality on the ground. “In the absence of ambulances, police have always been the first responders,” said one Nairobi-based rights activist. “To refuse to carry the injured is to risk more lives.”
But supporters defended the minister, noting that many patrol vehicles are already stretched thin by crime-fighting duties. They argued that expecting officers to act as ambulance drivers further weakens policing.
The debate highlights a deeper problem in Kenya’s health and emergency systems: a lack of resources, coordination, and reliable response units. Until that gap is filled, police cars will likely remain, for many Kenyans, the only hope in a life-or-death situation
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