Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has issued a controversial directive authorizing police officers to shoot any protesters who approach or demonstrate near police stations.
Speaking on Thursday evening while addressing business owners in Nairobi whose premises were vandalized during the recent wave of demonstrations, Murkomen expressed outrage over targeted attacks on police officers and state installations disguised as peaceful protests.
The CS lamented that police officers were being openly mocked by repeat offenders. “Thieves have been mocking police officers. When arrested, they return boldly saying, ‘”Im back again laughing at them, so I urge police officers to shoot those who will dare protest near police stations.” Murkomen warned
Murkomen’s remarks come amid ongoing national unrest that has seen government institutions attacked, firearms stolen, and police personnel injured in large numbers.
According to Murkomen, at least nine police stations were targeted, five of which were set ablaze, including Dagoretti in Kiambu County, Molo, and Ol Kalau.Five firearms were reported stolen from the Dagoretti Police Post, while four others were destroyed during an attack at Gachui Police Post.
The CS stated that the attacks were not merely demonstrations but criminal attempts to access weapons and police uniforms, warning of a rising threat against national security.
Murkomen revealed that over 400 people were injured in the protests, including nearly 300 police officers some of whom sustained life-altering injuries. In addition to police stations, government offices, law courts, and both county and national government installations were looted and set ablaze.
A total of 88 police vehicles were also damaged in the chaos. Murkomen condemned the violence, labeling it an orchestrated criminal campaign cloaked under the guise of peaceful protests.
His shoot-to-kill order has already drawn backlash from civil society groups, who warn that it could escalate tensions and result in further loss of life in an already volatile situation.
