Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has strongly defended the actions of security forces during recent anti-government protests, dismissing threats of International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings as baseless and politically motivated.
Speaking in Kajiado County, Murkomen lashed out at what he termed “anarchists hiding behind ICC threats,” insisting that police officers had acted within the law to protect the country and its citizens.
“I will not be scared by ICC threats. Scare somebody else, not the people who know the law,” said Murkomen, adding that he would continue to back officers who execute their duties lawfully and decisively.
His comments come amid rising pressure from local and international human rights groups over the police response to recent nationwide protests.
A case filed in court by politician Reuben Kagame accuses Murkomen, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Director Mohammed Amin of overseeing excessive use of force.
However, Murkomen maintained that the security agencies acted diligently and within constitutional bounds.“I am confident and clear in my mind that the IG and his team worked within the confines of the Constitution. Given a chance, we will do the same to defend the country as the ministry responsible for security,” he said.
Furthermore, the CS said he knows the Rome Statute, the Penal Code and other laws and therefore the DCI or other officers mentioned adversely for doing within the law to make the country safe will be defended.
“Why is nobody talking about the anarchists who burnt police stations, torched vehicles, destroyed administrative units, and even killed suspects in Ol Kalau?” he posed.
The Interior CS vowed to protect the lives and property of Kenyans against any form of lawlessness, saying national security was not open to “experimentation.
“We don’t have time to do experimental ideas on who will be taken to court by who. We know the law,” he added.