ODM leader Raila Odinga speaking at a past event. /RAILA ODINGA/X
ODM leader Raila Odinga has condemned Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over remarks perceived to support the use of lethal force against protesters during the June 25 demonstrations in Nairobi.
Speaking on Sunday at ACK St Peter’s Parish in Bondo, Siaya county, the former Prime Minister said while acts of violence and destruction witnessed during the protests should be condemned, police must not resort to unconstitutional killings.
“We have witnessed a lot of bloodshed recently. Children who went out to demonstrate, some of them died – some of them shot by the police,” Raila said.
He condemned those who destroyed property, terming them criminals, but insisted that the police had no legal grounds to shoot to kill.
“The police should never ever shoot to kill. Police have no licence to kill human beings. If somebody has committed a crime, arrest that person and take them before a court of law,” he said.
Raila took issue with statements attributed to CS Murkomen suggesting that police had the right to use lethal force to defend public infrastructure.
“So anybody giving instructions to a police officer that if anybody comes close to a police station, shoot them, it's a shame. Shame on you,” Raila said.
“We should not encourage the taking away of life in a way which is not constitutional.”
His remarks come in the wake of a damning report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), which revealed that at least 19 people lost their lives during the protests, 531 were injured, and 15 remain forcibly disappeared.
Murkomen has since denied issuing a shoot-to-kill directive, claiming his comments were a legal interpretation of the rights police officers have to defend critical infrastructure.
Speaking on Saturday during a high-level security meeting convened by President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi, Murkomen clarified his role, stressing that the constitution bars him from giving operational instructions to the police.
“I am saying this with all humility. I cannot order an Inspector General of Police on anything because the Constitution does not allow me to do so,” Murkomen said.
“What I did was to state the law. As a lawyer, I have read, studied, and understood these laws,” he added.
“You will not find me anywhere saying somebody should be shot to be killed. You will not find me anywhere saying a police officer should take orders from me.”
Raila, however, maintained that state agencies must be held accountable for the excessive force witnessed during the Gen Z-led demonstrations, even as he condoled with families who lost loved ones. “
"We condole with those people who have lost their loved ones, but at the same time we condemn the criminals who deliberately went to destroy people’s properties,” he said.
