Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s claim that no person has been killed by the police during President William Ruto’s tenure has sparked public fury.
His statement ignores damning reports from human rights groups and the Kenya Human Rights Commission, documenting deaths during anti-finance bill protests and the discovery of bodies across the country.
“Since President Ruto took reigns of office, there is no single citizen who has been killed by police, nor has there ever been a policy of killing people the way we used to see bodies in River Yala and others in River Tana. Since he took office in two years, nobody has been killed,” said Murkomen.
This statement by Murkomen appears unfounded. The inquest into the killing of Rex Maasai, who was shot and killed on June 18 during the anti-finance bill protests, remains active. The main suspect is identified as police officer Isaiah Murangiri Ndumba.
As of July, six human rights organizations documented the deaths of at least 61 people during the protests, a figure that may have since risen.
Human rights groups have sustained their criticism, condemning what they describe as widespread extrajudicial killings.
A statement by the Kenya Human Rights Commission dated 28th October 2024 reads in part: “…Since taking office in September 2022, the Ruto regime has been implicated in numerous grave human rights violations… Police continue to employ excessive force during peaceful protests, leading to at least 63 civilian deaths, 65 enforced disappearances, and over 1,400 unlawful detentions…”
The number of abductions has since gone up from October 2024.
Despite mounting evidence, the police deny involvement in recent abductions, raising questions about who is ordering these operations even as politicians continue to mount pressure on the president.
Kipchumba Murkomen, Interior CS added: “…Idara ya Polisi, kama vile Katiba inasema, lazima iwachiliwe ifanye kazi independently bila kushurutishwa na Waziri ama Rais ama anaibu wa Rais, and we will support their independence. We cannot allow any of us to direct I.G on how to do their work…”
The events surrounding the Parliament invasion on June 25 and the subsequent anti-government protests clash with the newly appointed Interior CS’s remarks on extrajudicial killings in the face of the ongoing court inquest and the many incidents under probe by agencies including IPOA.
