Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has issued a bold and unprecedented policy directive aimed at curbing the excessive and unlawful use of force by police officers, following national outrage over the violent crackdown on recent anti-government protests.
The directive — officially titled “Policy Directive No. 1 of 2025 on the Use of Force and Firearms” — outlines strict limitations on when and how law enforcement officers may apply force or use firearms, with an emphasis on necessity, restraint, and accountability.
“Force must never be used as a form of extrajudicial punishment. The use of force shall be no more than the minimum reasonably necessary in the circumstances,” reads the directive signed by Murkomen and distributed to all police units nationwide.
The move comes in response to nationwide protests over the Finance Bill and governance issues, during which dozens of protesters were reported killed and hundreds injured in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and other major towns. Civil society groups, human rights defenders, and religious leaders have accused the police of turning peaceful demonstrations into deadly confrontations
According to the directive, the use of firearms is now strictly limited to situations where there is a real and immediate threat to life or serious bodily harm, and only when there are no alternative means to neutralize the threat.
“A police officer is not entitled to discharge a firearm against a person unless the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person is committing or about to commit an act likely to endanger life,” the directive states.
Officers are now required to exhaust all non-violent methods — including verbal warnings, negotiations, and de-escalation — before resorting to any form of physical or armed response
The Ministry of Interior reaffirmed that the right to peaceful assembly, as enshrined under Article 37 of the Constitution, remains intact and must be respected at all times.
Police officers have been ordered to provide protection to lawful protesters, and shield them from harm, intimidation, or interference from third parties.
Even in the case of unlawful but non-violent protests, the policy insists that force must be avoided where possible, or applied only in strictly proportional terms.
“Law enforcement officials shall not use force or firearms against persons except in self-defense or defense of others against imminent threat of death or serious injury,” the document affirms.
