Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has triggered national and international alarm after issuing a controversial directive authorizing police officers to use lethal force against protesters approaching or threatening police stations. His statements followed the deadly June 25, 2025 protests, which left at least 16 people dead and hundreds injured, marking one of Kenya’s bloodiest political anniversaries in recent history.
The protests, held to commemorate the tragic 2024 anti-finance bill 2024 demonstrations where over 60 people were reportedly killed that saw thousands of Gen Z-led demonstrators pour into the streets of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisii and other major towns. Protesters, chanting “Ruto Must Go”, demanded an end to police brutality, economic hardship, and state corruption.
Clashes escalated rapidly, with law enforcement using live bullets, tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. Some police stations and government properties were reportedly attacked and torched.
Interior Cs Kipchumba Murkomen
In the aftermath, Murkomen publicly stated: “Guns are not decorations,” urging officers to defend themselves and state installations. “If someone attacks a police station, shoot them. That firearm is not for decoration,” he declared. He later clarified that the shoot-to-kill order was aimed at “thugs who steal guns,” but the damage had already been done. His inciting address was widely condemned as a dangerous endorsement of state-sponsored violence.
Murkomen described the protests as “an attempted coup” and “terrorism disguised as dissent,” praising officers for what he termed “remarkable restraint” despite verified reports of fatal shootings.
Human rights watchdogs, including Amnesty Kenya and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), have confirmed 16 protest-related deaths, many from gunshot wounds.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) denounced what it called “unnecessary aggression and brute force” by police, while Senator Dan Maanzo accused government leaders of fanning the flames of violence through reckless statements.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is now under intense pressure to launch a full investigation into the killings and alleged abuses.
Questions now mount over the government’s commitment to human rights, rule of law, and constitutional freedoms.
Murkomen’s remarks have intensified fears of a widening gulf between the state and its people – one where dissent is met not with dialogue, but with deadly force.
