Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen during an event in Elgeiyo Marakwet on July 12, 2025/PCS
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has issued a firm warning to individuals engaging in illegal or violent protests that it will no longer be business as usual.
He said the same energy used to fight al-Shabaab and bandits will now be directed at those who burn police stations, attack officers, vandalise courts, and attempt to storm key state institutions, including Parliament and State House.
“The same energy, the same power the Constitution has given us to fight banditry and al-Shabaab is the same strength we will use to deal with hooligans fighting in the streets of Nairobi,” he said.
The CS made the remarks Saturday while speaking at the 9th edition of the Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme in Simotwo, Elgeyo Marakwet County, where he accompanied President William Ruto and other leaders.
Murkomen also condemned attempts to shield suspects based on their ethnicity or region of origin, warning that criminal acts will be punished regardless of who is involved.
He claimed there are politicians from a certain region saying that just because supermarkets and homes were destroyed in places like Kirinyaga and Nyeri, people should stay silent or avoid taking action simply because the person behind it is from that region or is planning politics.
“We will protect the property of every Kenyan, whether it’s in Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Nairobi or elsewhere. Thugs who burnt businesses in Kirinyaga or Nyeri will be treated the same as those in Kitengela or Ngong," he stated.
"No tribalism will protect them."
He dismissed calls for leniency based on age or tribal affiliations, asserting that no generation or community has a monopoly over crime or immunity from the law.
"There are no goons or thugs of a certain tribe or youth of a certain generation who will be spared. All criminals will be dealt with squarely,” he said.
He said, "We are not going to play with the job Kenyans gave us. Our responsibility is to protect lives and property, and under your guidance, Mr. President, we will ensure that Kenyans are safe."
